綺麗な青: Kirei na Ao
by Tsukisamu Sayako
Summary: Meaning "Beautiful Blue", a collection of ficlets/drabbles for Sora/Roxas. From the silly to the depressing. From the mundane to the exotic. Ficlet 50: "Dreams say a lot about a person's state of mind..."
1. Takoyaki

_Ficlet # 1_

_Word count: 348_

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**たこやき – Takoyaki**

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Roxas has never had takoyaki.

And with good reason.

The thought of eating a crunchy-but-not-crunchy, chewy-but-not-chewy thing is mind-boggling.

So when Sora had brought a steaming hot box of fresh takoyaki he bought at the marketplace, Roxas just stared at the food.

"Sora, what is this?" he asked, eying the meatball-but-not-meatball looking things covered with a brown sauce, bonito shavings, seaweed sprinkles, and topped off with mayonnaise with suspicion.

"It's takoyaki!" the brown-haired teen exclaimed cheerfully. He pierced one of the takoyakis with a toothpick and blew on it quickly before popping it into his mouth.

"Oh, oh, hot," he said, as he chewed the food and blew on it to cool it down. Roxas simply stared at Sora. The Japanese teen sure liked to torture himself with hot food.

"Have one!" Sora grinned after swallowing.

"What is it?"

"What do you mean, what is it? It's takoyaki!" he replied, as if the word "takoyaki" was enough to explain the food.

"What's it made of?" Roxas had begun poking a takoyaki with his own toothpick.

"Well… I just know that it's made of tako and wheat paste," said Sora with a toothy grin. "Just try it!"

Roxas continued poking at the takoyaki.

"Oh, for god's sake," said Sora exasperatedly as he popped another takoyaki into his mouth then proceeded to smash his lips against the clueless blonde's own.

Roxas's eyes widened with surprise and gasped as the aroma from the takoyaki in Sora's mouth passed into his own. The two tongues met each other and Sora pushed the hot food into Roxas's mouth. The wheat paste ball disintegrated under the harsh treatment of the two tongues, leaving behind the yummy goodness that is the core of the takoyaki.

Sora broke the kiss with a grin as he licked his lips. Roxas chewed on the tako before swallowing. His eyes lit with surprise as he became enlightened in the way of the takoyaki.

At that moment, Roxas fell in love with takoyaki.

"Next time, don't do that again. My tongue's hurting."

Sora could only grin goofily at his boyfriend.

* * *

_Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies. QQ._

_A/N: I know… I really should be working on _Intrigues_ and _Heart of a Nobody_, but there are too many little things that's running through my brain that I just can't ignore. As such, I give you these drabbles (or to be more correct, drabble-ish works). Right now, I've written 2 more which I'll post over the next week and each update will be based on when I get an idea._

_On a random note, it's Harry Potter's birthday! He'd be 28 years old if he actually lived. (gasp). Right... totally not KH related._

_Also, I'm a sucker for takoyaki. That's why this is the very first one._


	2. Resutoran

_To Reviewers of _Takoyaki_:_

_Black-Song-xx-: I had hoped that it was sweet, cute, and fluffy._

_Toothpaste Addict: Thanks!_

_Gir is awesome!: Happy belated birthday to you then. And yes, mmm, takoyaki_

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_Ficlet #2_

_Word count: 431_

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**レストラン – Restaurant**

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Sora remembered the very first time Roxas took him on a serious date.

They had gone to Chris Ruth's Steakhouse and shared a steak and lobster dinner.

He remembered that the bill was a whopping 60 dollars for the two of them. The most he's ever spent on dinner.

Not to mention that he was still hungry after wards.

Rather embarrassed by the whole ordeal, Roxas had asked him with a blush on his face where he wanted to go eat next.

Sora had replied with a smile: it doesn't matter.

He then pulled his boyfriend off toward the ever popular Seventh Heaven across the shopping center. He paid, of course—much to Roxas's chagrin.

It was there that Sora had his first alcoholic drink after he turned 21.

It was also there that he and Roxas took the initiative to go back to Sora's apartment and had sex.

It was there that Sora and Roxas were having their umpteenth date again.

He watched as his boyfriend talked animatedly about his work at the independent gaming music company and how their company recently got their big break to work with Blizzard Entertainment to work on an unannounced game.

"And how was your work?" Roxas asked with a smile on his face.

"Oh, you know. Same old, same old. Running experiments, genotyping mice, boring as hell compared to yours," replied Sora in mocking sarcasm.

Roxas laughed at the jest. "You really should think about joining Project Hearts. You're a hell of a singer."

Sora blushed. "You know I don't do well under pressure."

"Oh, come on, Sora. You sing when I'm with you. Isn't that enough pressure?"

"You have a terrible singing voice," the brown-haired teen muttered. Roxas only grinned in reply.

"How about this, we'll record one of my newest songs at my place when you're drunk enough and let my coworkers listen to it."

"Roxas!" exclaimed Sora, his face completely red now. "I hate you!"

"Aww," Roxas frowned petulantly, "You can't really mean that."

The embarrassed man huffed and turned his head away.

"Okay, okay. Not when drunk. Do this for me?" Roxas pleaded. Sora took a glance at his boyfriend, who was giving him the puppy look, and relented.

"Fine."

The blond grinned happily.

At the conclusion of the dinner, Roxas surprised Sora with a chocolate cake. Sitting in the frosting was a gold ring with a sapphire mounted on it.

"Will you marry me, Sora?" he asked abashed.

It was at Seventh Heaven that Sora got engaged to Roxas. And he wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

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_Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies. QQ._

_A/N: Hmm. The ending felt a little rushed. Ah well. I will have to say that I'll probably write another ficlet based on this one, haha. I will have to say that the cake's kinda cheesy... and makes the ring all sticky... On another note, props to Blizzard for World of Warcraft, and Chris Ruth's Steakhouse for good, but freaking kidney-selling-on-the-black-market-ishly expensive steaks.  
_


	3. Kagami

_To Reviewer of Resutoran:_

_Black-Song-xx-: Sora sure is cute, isn't he? Haha._

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_Ficlet #3_

_Word count: 168_

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**鏡 – Mirror**

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So many people said that they looked alike. It was sickening—especially when they accused them of incest.

Staring at the mirror in front of him, Roxas could see the resemblance.

His hair is blond, Sora's is brown. If Sora had bleached his hair, his hair probably would've looked exactly like his.

Both of them share the same shade of color in eyes. But where Sora's eyes sparkled with optimism, his own only pierced through the souls of others with their clarity.

Sora's skin is tanned, having spent hours in the sunshine playing Blitzball with Tidus, Wakka, and Riku. His own is pale, having spent hours indoors reading books that piled up to the ceiling.

They said that they were the Ying and Yang of one person. Sora would disagree though.

Staring at the mirror, Roxas wished that he looked different from Sora.

Sora would have frowned at the notion, saying that Roxas is perfect the way he is.

But Roxas wouldn't accept that.

He hated the mirror.

* * *

_Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies. QQ._

_A/N: This is more like a drabble, even though it's technically 68 words too many. (sadface). Anyways, this was a bit on the angst/dark side. But between the silly and the fluffy, I felt that I needed to have a contrast and thus came this. Tell me what you think about it and I'll see if I want to write more of these angsty ficlets in the future, hum._


	4. Kuma

_To Reviewers of Kagami:_

_Toothpaste Addict: Thanks! I've always seen the two as opposites, so it all worked out. It is a bit bitter and rather shocking isn't it?_

_Black-Song-xx: Yeah, I do agree that it's a bit melancholic. That's why this next one should be perfect to brighten people's mood. Haha._

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_Ficlet #4_

_Word count: 236_

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**熊 – Bear**

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The first thing Roxas realized when he woke up was the lack of a furry thing in his arms.

He sat up immediately in alarm and looked about him hysterically.

"Where's my kuma?" he blurted before laying his eyes on the figure that was in his—their—bed.

In the arms of a brown-haired teen was the familiar tan-colored furriness that was Roxas's teddy. He had never given the comforting teddy a name. Only after Sora had called it "Kuma-chan" did Roxas began referring to the bear as _his_ kuma.

"Bastard," muttered the blond-haired teen with annoyance. He reached down and pried Sora's fingers off of his prized stuffed animal. Sora muttered incoherently upon the loss of the furry object but Roxas could've cared less.

He needed his kuma.

Huffing triumphantly, Roxas plopped back down onto the mattress and faced away from Sora, who stirred under the noise.

Upon realizing that he had lost his battle against Roxas in possession of Kuma-chan, Sora pouted before turning himself so he faced Roxas's back. He wrapped an arm across his boyfriend's waist and pulled him closer to himself.

"I'll have Kuma-chan to myself one of these days," he murmured sleepily.

"Never," replied Roxas, equally sleepily.

Sora breathed deeply as he snuggled his chin in the crook of Roxas's neck. "Well then, I'll just settle on a better thing to snuggle with."

The blonde chuckled softly.

"That you do."

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_Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies. QQ._

_A/N: The theme of this fic was actually inspired by Utada Hikaru's "_Boku wa Kuma"_. I will have to say that the PV for the song is disturbingly cute. Though I can't actually believe that I made Roxas be the one to have a teddy bear… I think it fits rather well._


	5. Ongaku

_To reviewer of Kuma:_

_Black-Song-xx-: It was rather cute, wasn't it? Haha. Thank you for sticking with this collection. Many hearts._

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_Ficlet #5_

_Word count: 470_

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**音楽 – Music**

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Sora could always figure out how Roxas's day was by the music he listens to after school.

On a happy day, he'll put on J-pop even though he doesn't understand a word the singer's singing—he never bothered asking for Sora about the meaning either.

On a sad day, he'll put on classical music, usually Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6, movement number III—or was it IV?—or Schumann's Dichterliebe

On an angry day, he'll put on hard metal. Sora never liked hearing hard metal.

On a creative day, he'll put on jazz music. He always said that jazz was all about improvising and that's why it makes him creative.

On a normal day, he'll just put on soundtrack music. Roxas was a hardcore fan of Nobuo Uematsu and Yoko Shimomura.

On a boring day, he'll not put on music but play on his clarinet or cello, depending on which one he set his eyes on first.

Today, as Sora passed by Roxas's house, strains of Mozart's Requiem filtered out from the house.

"He said he would never play that," muttered Sora as he hurried up the steps. His internal alarm went off madly. The door was unlocked; Sora's dread deepened.

"Roxas!" the Japanese teen shouted as he made his way up the stairs toward Roxas's bedroom. The door was shut, but the music continued to play muffled through the closed door.

"Roxas, I'm opening the door!" Sora said loudly as he slowly opened the door.

As he suspected, the room was dark, and cold. The mahogany red curtains were drawn together and a fan swiveled about its pivot blowing strongly around. Roxas's beloved clarinet and cello sat on their stands forlornly. Amidst the shadows, Sora could make out a lump underneath the covers.

Sora went directly over to the lump and carefully peeled the comforter back, revealing the crying face of Roxas.

"Roxas, what's the matter?" asked Sora soothingly as he got into bed and embraced the sobbing teen.

"I didn't get accepted," he said softly. Sora knew how badly Roxas wanted to go to Julliard.

"Well, if it makes you feel better. I didn't get accepted to Yale," said Sora.

"But-" Roxas started.

"Maybe we weren't meant to go to New England," interrupted Sora lightly. "You could always go to Oberlin," he added.

"But what about you?"

"I got into Northwestern. I looked up flight times from Chicago to Cleveland; it's only an hour and 15 minutes."

"We'd still be separated," muttered Roxas.

"We can make it work," Sora grinned. "If worse comes to worse, I'll transfer over to Case Western Reserve. It's only 45 minutes by bus."

Roxas hummed as he snuggled closer to Sora.

"I love you, Sora."

"I love you too, Roxas."

For Roxas, Sora would do anything to not hear the strains of classical music.

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_Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies. QQ._

_A/N: Ah yes… college applications and the terrible wait. This was actually written before "Resutoran", that's why Roxas works in an independent video game music company in that ficlet. But, I decided that "Resutoran" needed to be posted before this mainly because it was right in the middle in terms of mood between "Takoyaki" and "Kagami". That said, you can probably predict what kind of ficlet will be posted next then, haha._


	6. Furo

_Ficlet #6_

_Word count: 377_

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**風呂 – Bath**

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Call Sora a girl for his love of fragrant baths and Roxas would punch your daylights out. Even though he would agree with the sentiment.

Roxas could never figure out why Sora loved taking baths. He could only guess that Sora's mom always had him take baths and it grew on him.

The two boys had just returned to Sora's house after a particularly tiring baseball game. Their team had won of course: 9 to 6. Roxas would've been content with just taking a quick cold shower to get rid of the sweat and grime, but Sora would have none of that.

"But a shower is quick!" the blond had complained. But of course, Sora was stubborn beyond a fault and simply continued filling up the Jacuzzi-sized bathtub with warm water before rummaging through his mom's stash of bath salts: green tea would work.

"I don't see why you don't want to take a bath," said Sora as he completed the bath. "It's relaxing."

Before Roxas knew it, Sora had stripped off his baseball uniform and gotten into the greenish color. He breathed a sigh of relief as the warm water soothed his body. He opened his eyes and looked over to Roxas with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Well, aren't you going to join me? Or do I have to get out and undress you myself?"

Roxas's face flushed with embarrassment and hesitated. The moment of hesitation was too long for the impatient Sora, who stepped out of the bath and began unbuttoning Roxas's uniform.

"S-Sora!" stuttered Roxas as the brown-haired teen managed to strip his boyfriend down completely. With a heave, Sora lifted the slender teen and practically dumped him into the bathwater.

Roxas squeaked indignantly and came up sputtering. "So-" His yell was interrupted by Sora's quick kiss on his lips.

"Shut up and enjoy this," Sora said with a smile. Roxas took Sora's advice and relaxed in the bathwater. After a short while, he grinned mischievously at the closed-eyed Sora and reached into the water to search for his target.

Sora jerked slightly at the unexpected touch and opened his eyes to see the suggestive grin.

"I think I want to take more baths now," Roxas said as he kissed Sora deeply.

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_Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies. QQ._

_A/N: I think I love this ficlet the most thus far, haha._


	7. Kanari

_To reviewers of Furo:_

_Black-Song-xx-: Good to know that you're liking the drabbles. And Sora is very impatient isn't he? Haha._

_Cielo-negro: I love it too. X3_

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_Ficlet #7_

_Word count: 122_

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**かなり – Pretty**

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Sora hated the word "pretty".

All the girls—Selphie, Kairi, Olette, Naminé—said that he was pretty when Sora showed up at the masquerade ball as an elf. They cooed at him much like they do with a cute puppy or a baby.

Maybe that's why he's gay.

Not to mention that "pretty" has been used in language to connote "somewhat" or "slightly" or "more or less".

Sora hated when someone says "pretty good", "pretty decent", "pretty bad"…

And the worst of all: "pretty please".

Still, he couldn't help but say "pretty please!" when Roxas baked a batch of chocolate chip and oatmeal cookies for a party at Riku's place.

Sora is such a hypocrite.

But Roxas loved him all the same.

* * *

_Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies. QQ._

_A/N: When I came up with the title for this drabble, I was debating if I should use __"kirei na" (meaning beautiful) or "kanari" (meaning rather). In the end, I decided on "kanari" because it held more meaning for this drabble rather than "kirei na". Besides, I had already used "kirei na" in the title, haha._

_On another note, the next chapter of _The Heart of a Nobody_ is currently being written. It should be posted sometimes this week if you're waiting for it._


	8. Jiko

_Ficlet #8_

_Word count: 318_

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**事故 – Accident**

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Sora wished that he had been more careful.

"It's not your fault," everyone had said, but Sora felt like it was.

If he had been more careful, then maybe he wouldn't hear the accursed beeps of life-supporting machinery in the room.

He remembered that they were driving home on a typical night.

As they drove through a popular, well-traversed stretch of Century Blvd., a car travelling in the opposite direction had suddenly swerved into them.

Sora didn't even get a chance to turn the car before it slammed into them head on.

The police said that the other driver had been driving under the influence of alcohol and was in critical condition the last time he heard. They said that he would be receiving 25 to life for vehicular manslaughter.

But Sora didn't care about that.

After the collision, Sora remembered aching all over. His lower left arm was broken, his tibia and fibula on both legs had fractured, and he suffered a small concussion from when his head was thrown back against the headrest from the deployed airbag.

When he opened his eyes, both he and Roxas were hanging upside down. A large gash was on Roxas's forehead and the sight scared him.

He remembered calling for Roxas.

Roxas never responded.

At the hospital, after he was treated, the doctors informed him that Roxas had suffered multiple rib fractures, one of which punctured his right lung, and brain hemorrhage.

As a result, Roxas was in a coma.

They didn't know if he would make it.

So now, Sora sat forlornly in a wheelchair at Roxas's bedside. The chill of the hospital settled down over them and Sora could only stare at the slight movement of his boyfriend's chest.

He prayed desperately for his well-being. But every day Roxas stayed in a coma, the slimmer his chances were.

The moment that Sora dreaded inevitably came.

Roxas flat lined.

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_Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies. QQ._

_A/N: Nuuuuuu, Roxas! Well… now that's out of the way, maybe I'll get some happier ficlets written. (gasp!) On another note, posting something on AkuRoku day is really bad__ for a fic's "publicity"… since everyone's posting/updating on that day, lol.  
_


	9. Raamen

_To reviewers of Jiko:_

_Black-Song-xx-: Yeah… it was sad. Glad to know you liked it, hehe._

_Toothpaste Addict: I think it was the only ending I looked for in that ficlet. XC Poor Sora._

_Forgotten Lullaby: Haha, yeah. I love the bath one too. Right now, I don't know if there is going to be any more character deaths in these ficlets. I don't think there will simply based on the fact that I've got enough angst in other ficlets already. But, if I do have any more deaths, I'll be sure to warn you guys._

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_Ficlet #9_

_Word count: 298_

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**ラーメン – Ramen**

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Roxas stared at Sora, who was slurping down a bowl of noodles quite loudly in a roadside eatery run by a pair of recently immigrated from Japan couple.

"Sora, manners," hissed Roxas as he picked at his own steaming bowl of long stringy eggy noodles in a Miso-based broth, with bamboo shoots, broiled pork slices, green scallions, corn, half of a boiled egg, and sesame seeds sprinkled haphazardly. To top off the bowl of yummy goodness, a piece of rather large teriyaki-flavored nori sat sticking out from the soup.

"Who's the Japanese?" replied Sora as he swallowed. "Trust me; they want you to be as loud as you can when it comes to ramen. If you're loud, then they know that you enjoyed it." With that, he proceeded to slurp down another chopstick full of his noodles.

Roxas frowned at the silly notion and pulled out a couple of noodles, rolling them up with his chopsticks and placing them on his spoon before putting them into his mouth.

"God, Roxas, you're so American," said Sora exasperatedly.

"Well, sorry for not being Japanese," replied Roxas sarcastically.

"It's really easy to eat ramen, stop eating it like spaghetti!" He licked his lips and slurped down a spoonful of the salty, savory soup.

"Have you seen me eat spaghetti?" Roxas stared at Sora. The Japanese teen stopped in his meal and then realized how Roxas ate spaghetti.

"Well then, eat it like spaghetti!"

With a blush, Roxas began following Sora's example and slurped down the noodles like he does with his spaghetti. If his mother was there, she'd scold him for the lack of manners.

But the smiles on the restaurant owners' faces revealed the truth behind Sora's words.

Sometimes, not having manners is definitely more worth it then having manners.

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_Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies. QQ._

_A/N: I had a hard time with this ficlet at first since I've been writing a slew of angsty ones. I've also written, at the same time, another silly fic, but I chose this one over the other for now mainly because I'm not a big fan of the other one just yet. I will probably post the other one in the next update, so no worries if you're dying to know what it is, haha. As usual, thanks for all the support and I believe this collection will continue on for a long, long time, even if the updates are few and far in the future (which I hope it doesn't)._


	10. Sekkusu

_To reviewer of Ramen:_

_Toothpaste Addict: Haha, can you imagine a baby Roxas being all messy and has his face covered in marinara sauce? XD And Japanese ramen is the bomb!_

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_Ficlet #10_

_Word count: 256_

_Warning: Slight lemony goodness. (wink)_

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**セックス – Sex**

* * *

On a particular hot summer day, Sora couldn't help but gape at Roxas as he ate his sea salt ice cream bar.

He gulped visibly as he stared at Roxas's mouth shaped into an "o" and the dexterous blue-tinged red tongue licking the glistening surface of the blue-tinted cold treat.

He felt so dirty to be staring, but the act was much too fascinating to tear his eyes away.

"Sora?" said Roxas as he nearly finished his Popsicle, noticing only for the first time that his boyfriend had been staring at him this entire time. Sora gulped once again and groaned with slight annoyance upon realizing how tight his shorts were.

Roxas scanned the blushing teen with a pair of mischievous eyes. The slight bulge in the brown-haired teen's baggy shorts was all the confirmation he needed. He quickly finished the rest of his icy treat and threw the wooden stick away as he tackled his boyfriend who had been sitting on his bed.

"R-Roxas…" moaned Sora as his lover placed tender kisses on his neck. Roxas's hands pulled at the various zippers and buttons that kept their clothes on. His face flushed deeply upon feeling the blond-haired teen's hands on the waistband of his boxers.

"Sora, do you want this?" asked Roxas huskily.

"Y-yes," Sora whispered and the boxers went away.

Sora moaned as Roxas's hands caressed his erection, tracing each fold of skin as if he was counting them. Wetness came in contact with the tip of his cock before he was quickly engulfed in heat and wetness. He could feel the nimble tongue maneuvering over his length as Roxas sucked on him. The brown-haired teen simply let himself drown with pleasure that his lover was providing him.

Roxas grinned as he watched Sora's eyes roll back and his pelvis thrusting toward him unconsciously. He patted himself on the back for being an expert at sucking popsicles and lollipops. He released Sora's hard-on from his mouth before nipping tenderly at the skin, his hands massaging the gasping teen's scrotum and stroking the cock. Droplets of precum appeared at the tip of Sora's length and Roxas eagerly lapped it up before plunging Sora back into the wet heat of his mouth.

"R-Roxas, I can't hold…" rasped Sora as the blond-haired teen continued to suck him off. The pleasure grew to a climax.

Roxas smiled as his boyfriend tensed before cum spilled into his waiting mouth in waves. He drank down the bittersweet fluid and savored the taste of his love. With a passionate kiss, he shared with Sora the taste of his own self and succumbed to the pleasure as Sora returned the favor.

There is a reason why Roxas loved sea salt ice cream after all.

* * *

_Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies. QQ._

_A/N: To be quite honest, this was my first attempt at writing a lemony scene. I think it came out okay, haha. Hope you enjoyed this and stay tuned for the next update._


	11. Kekkon

_Black-Song-xx-: Indeed. I can just see a prim and proper Roxas… and the thought cracks me up. Also, good to know that you enjoyed the latest. X3_

_Toothpaste Addict: Yeah, I wish there were more ramen places in America. I think the only places you could find them are at Little Tokyo or Japantown (sadface). And making them out of those packets you can buy from the Japanese or Chinese market just isn't the same. Speaking of innocent, I just realized that sea-salt ice cream could technically taste like… well, semen… XX_

* * *

_Ficlet #11_

_Word count: 409_

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**結婚 – Marriage**

* * *

So many people congratulated him for his engagement.

He should be happy for his decision to tie the knot with his childhood friend.

But he felt empty, like his heart had disappeared. A void was left behind upon the announcement.

He should be happy for his marriage, but he can't bring himself to be happy.

Looking through a pane of glass, another boy watched with sad eyes. He longed to see the bright smile upon the face of the boy-to-be-married. He longed to hold him in his arms and tell him that everything will be alright. He longed to bring the smile back because he had stolen the heart of the groom unintentionally.

The groom-to-be was always looking for a glimpse of his true love: the person that he wished to marry, but can't. But always, the pane of glass would block his view; as if he was looking through a one-way mirror but only seeing his own reflection.

Ironically, it was his fiancée that noticed the change in him: the one who realized that he hadn't actually wanted to marry her in the first place. She realized that someone else had already stolen his heart and he could never really love her the way she would want her spouse to.

She too was always looking for a glimpse of the man who her husband fell in love with. But, like her husband-to-be, she can't. The pane of glass would block her view just as it did with his.

The both of them would try to set things right, but can't.

It wasn't until the day of the ceremony when both of them dreaded the walk down the aisle, with eyes watching them, that they realized that they had the power to undo this all and set things right.

It wasn't until that day when the pale blue eyes of the groom's true love appeared amidst the audience.

When the priest asked them for their vows, a shock reverberated through the halls when both of them simultaneously replied, "No."

Then with a hug and a kiss on the cheeks, the pair ran back out the way they came, each one of them grabbing the wrists of their true loves and was never heard from again.

"You are a fool," both of their lovers would say, but the two who would-have-been-married simply grinned at their loves.

And said.

"Better a fool who's in love than a sage without a heart."

* * *

_Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies. QQ._

_A/N: I think I originally had planned for a sadder ending for this, but I didn't like the messages it would latently convey. Either Roxas or Sora can fit into the role of the groom and Naminé or Kairi into the role of the bride, haha. Granted, I'm sure the two characters could apply to any character in any game/anime... but w/e. Hope you enjoyed it._


	12. Kimi wa dare?

_To reviewers of Kekkon:_

_Black-song-xx-: Yup yup, the perfect ending. Hehe._

_Toothpaste Addict: You gotta admit, it does sound like sea salt ice cream tastes like it... XP_

* * *

_Ficlet #12_

_Word count: 147_

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**キミは誰 – Who are You?**

* * *

He felt like he was stuck right in the middle of a whirlpool.

Events that are happening to him swirled around him in a mishmash of color and sounds.

"Inform the blood bank we need O- blood," said the green color.

"I'm going have to ask you some questions," said the blue color.

"Where is my son!?" said the brown color.

"He's suffered a hard blow to his head," said the white color.

"Sora! SORA!" screamed the yellow color.

A pair of blue eyes opened and the owner of the said eyes blinked away the blurriness. The worried face of a blond-haired, blue-eyed teen met him with relief.

"You're all right," he said.

The brown-haired, blue-eyed teen with bandages wrapped around his head stared back with blinking eyes.

"Who are you?"

The boy with the broken heart, pale face, and drowning soul simply smiled back.

"I'm Roxas."

* * *

_Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies. QQ._

_A/N: I… don't know what to say. Except, sorry I made Sora get amnesia? (sadface)_


	13. Matsuri

_To reviewer of Kimi wa Dare?:_

_Beebs: Hehe, no problem. It's always nice to see new reviewers anyways. I have a bad habit of not review every single chapter of some fic myself. X3 In any case, thanks for all the compliments. I aim to please after all. (wink)_

* * *

_Ficlet #13_

_Word count: 512_

* * *

**祭り – Festival**

* * *

"Roxas!" laughed Sora as he skipped ahead toward the festival entrance.

Over the summer, Sora had managed to convince the blond-haired man to take a trip with him to Japan, namely to Sora's hometown in Nagoya. Coincidentally—though Roxas thought that Sora had it planned this way the whole time, their trip was also during the time of the Tanabata festival.

So, in accordance to Sora's tradition, the pair ended up going to the Tanabata festival at Nagoya.

Roxas squirmed slightly in the navy blue and white yukata Sora made him wear, unused to the flowing garment that moved about him as he walked.

Sora himself wore a light blue and green yukata and was milling to and fro looking at the various stalls set up on the main stone path of the main Shinto shrine in Nagoya.

"Roxas, kite," said Sora in Japanese, much to Roxas's slight annoyance. Ever since they landed in Osaka, Sora rarely spoke English to him. It was great to hear the man speak in his natural language, but Roxas was irked by the fact that he couldn't understand a word his boyfriend said.

Realizing that "kite" meant "come", Roxas walked over to Sora, who was ordering a plate of "yakisoba"?

"Sora, what's yakisoba?"

"Eeto, soba, yasai, tako-"

"English, please?" said Roxas exasperatedly. Sora blew a raspberry at him as his face glowered.

"Soba noodle, vegetables, octopus… it's basically Japanese fried noodles," he said in English.

"Oh."

"Hai, douzo," said the vendor as he presented a plate of the fried noodles to Sora.

As Sora continued to speak to the vendor in rapid Japanese, Roxas looked about him at the various booths that sold food and trinkets. Between each stall hung decorations made from paper and cloth; what their significance was, Roxas didn't know.

The pair then made their way toward the large courtyard before the shrine, where several seats have been set up with a stage near the shrine. Traditional music filtered through the air.

After they had finished the yakisoba, Sora had run off to buy dangos before dragging Roxas to look at the trinkets and charms being sold. The American teen hated to admit this, but he really liked to look at the intricate things.

As if reading his mind, Sora had bought a good-luck charm with a moon bunny doll and a string-made doll in the shape of a frog for Roxas. He snickered softly when Roxas blushed.

Sora himself had gone over to a grove of bamboos near the shrine where a "tanzaku" stall had been set up. Roxas watched his boyfriend write down a series of incomprehensible symbols—at least, incomprehensible to him—before hanging it on a bamboo tree.

"Roxas, did you know this festival was inspired by two lovers who can only reunite on this day?" Sora asked as they ventured toward the back of the shrine.

"A lovers' festival?" A sudden realization dawned on Roxas.

"Suki da yo, Roxas."

"I love you, Sora." Sora grinned as he leaned in for a kiss.

Above, the two stars shone brightly.

* * *

_Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies. QQ._

_A/N: So a few translations/explanations._

_Tanabata occurs around July 7 to August 7 in Japan, depending on the region. It originally was a simple star festival with the story of a cowherd and a princess falling in love. But because of their status differences, they were separated. Modern Tanabata celebrates the reunion of the two lovers, represented by the stars Vega and Altair, and is combined with the Buddhist festival Obon to pay respect to the dead._

_Yukata is a more casual style of traditional Japanese outfit usually worn in the summer, especially at festivals. Although the term can be used for both men and women clothes, that does not mean the outfits look the same of course, haha. Kimono, on the other hand, is more formal than yukata and similarly applies for both men and women._

_Tanzaku is a strip of paper upon which a person writes their wishes. They then hang it on a bamboo tree or other trees. Tanzaku should not be confused with the wooden slats that people write their prayers on in Shinto shrines, which the priests and maidens of the shrine hang them up before burning them in a daily bonfire._

"_Hai, douzo" means "Here you go. Enjoy."_

"_Suki da yo" literally means "I like you." Technically, "aishiteru" means "I love you." However, it is more proper in Japanese etiquette to say "Suki da yo" or "Daisuki" (meaning "I like you a lot."), that's why I used the former instead of the latter. If I recall correctly, Japanese people would frown on you and judge you to be pretentious if you use "aishiteru"._


	14. Uragiri

_Ficlet #14_

_Word count: 285_

* * *

**裏切り – Betray**

* * *

"You lied."

His voice was thick with emotion, gruff with latent anger.

Roxas watched impassively, his true self hidden behind a mask of aloofness. Before him, Sora glared at him with accusing eyes, eyes that shone with water and the bitterness of being betrayed.

"Yes," the blond-haired teen said at long last.

The tears that Sora had sought to hold back fell from his eyes. The voice that had answered him was so casual, so simple, that he wondered if the man in front of him was an inherently lying bastard.

"Why?"

"Because I felt like it."

A scowl appeared on Sora's usually smiling face.

"You're a bastard, you know that?" he seethed.

"Not the first time I've heard that," Roxas replied simply.

Yet, underneath all the bravado that he tried to assert, a tremble of emotion seeped out. A drowning sensation filled the core of his being as he showed the façade of a despicable man to Sora. Within, his heart was shattered into millions of pieces as he hoped to distance himself from Sora, all the better to protect the brown-haired teen who he loved dearly.

"Don't you ever show your face in front of me, ever again," spat Sora as he pointed a finger threateningly at the blonde. Roxas's poker face never faltered.

Sora stormed past the blonde with tears falling down his cheeks.

A slam of door soon followed.

It was only after then that Roxas allowed his body to succumb the torrent of emotions that he had kept bottled up. His body trembled with unshed tears and he fell to the ground in a heap of sobs.

Sora would never know the actual reason why Roxas had betrayed his love.

* * *

_Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies. QQ._

_A/N: Ahhh, I had meant to post another drabble three days ago but never got around doing it before I went on my 2 day trip. So, to make up for lost time, I've also posted another story after this. These two ficlets could be linked as a before and after, but they don't have to be either. XP I guess the story could've been more of a drabble if I had only shown Sora's side of the "story", but I felt the need to show Roxas's side of the story too, haha. Hope you enjoy this one and the next._


	15. Yurushi

_Ficlet #15_

_Word count: 292_

* * *

**許し– Forgiveness**

* * *

It was months since Sora had last heard from Roxas.

Their last meeting had been anything but pleasant and the months of separation had filled Sora's heart with regret.

Yet, Sora couldn't bring himself to face Roxas. In fact, he had no idea how to get in contact with Roxas at all.

So now, he stood in front of the door to Cloud's apartment and wondered if he should even bother.

"You're a real bastard, Sora," Cloud had said when he saw him.

Sora was stunned by the remark and immediately went on the defensive. "_He's_ the bastard, not me." The lingering pain of betrayal had returned to his eyes.

Strangely enough, Cloud's tone was soft and full of sadness right afterwards. "He never told you, did he?"

"Told me what?"

"The reason why he did what he did."

"Wh…what?"

"He left to protect you."

Sora stilled; his eyes wide with shock. "Protect me from what?"

"He's knows that you have abilities like him. _They_ were already onto him when he became a swimming prodigy."

"Where is he?" Sora asked, as if afraid of the answer.

"Here." Sora gasped. "We just rescued him from Rosen Kreuz."

The name sent shivers down Sora's spine. He knew of the horrors of Rosen Kreuz.

"Can I see him?" the brown-haired Japanese said softly.

"Yes," a small voice came from behind Cloud. The older brother of the blond-haired teen opened the door wider to let the two see each other. Sora's eyes filled with tears upon seeing the gauntness and glassy eyes upon Roxas's face. Immediately, he embraced his blond-haired lover with eagerness.

"I'm sorry, Roxas. Can you ever forgive me?"

"There is nothing that needs to be forgiven," whispered Roxas. "I'm sorry."

"I forgive you."

* * *

_Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies. QQ._

_A/N: So in case you read this one first, I had meant to post another drabble three days ago but never got around doing it before I went on my 2 day trip. So, to make up for lost time, I've also posted another story before this one. These two ficlets could be linked as a before and after, but they don't have to be either. XP And yay, happy ending, hehe._

_Another note, the organization of "Rosen Kreuz" is not mine, I stole it from the anime series _Weiβ Kreuz_, which is owned by Koyasu Takehito and company. (sadface) _


	16. Makura

_To recent reviewers:_

_Ironic-Sarcasm: That would be the million dollar question, wouldn't it? I don't particular have any details in mind, so you'll just have to imagine what happened between the two of them. (giggle)_

_cobragirl17: Hmm, I can't think up of a Japanese word that starts with da, ji, zu, de, do with the meaning of 2, so I can't really tell you what might've prompted you to think that "douzo" means "two". In any case, thanks for the compliments. As for why I decided to make Roxas American and Sora Japanese is based primarily on their names. "Sora" can be a Japanese name while "Roxas" (Rokusasu in Japanese) seems more western than Japanese, hence the nationalities._

* * *

_Ficlet #16_

_Word count: 204_

* * *

**枕 – Pillow**

* * *

On a perfectly clear morning, sunlight streamed through the open window into the cheery room where two boys slept.

Sora let out a moan of content as he hugged his pillow, snuggling into a small nook that was perfect for his heart-shaped sleeping face.

Beside him, his blond-haired lover inhaled deeply before shifting to haphazardly throw an arm over Sora. The brown-haired boy whined petulantly upon the movement, losing his pillow in the process.

Roxas opened his eyes to see the pout on Sora's face before the still-sleeping teen pushed Roxas back to his previous position so he could have his pillow back.

Now slightly awake, the blond-haired, blue-eyed teen was at a loss as to what he should do next. Sora's arms were wrapped around his body, pinning him to the bed while his head was now placed on top of his chest. Needless to say, Sora had made him into his own human pillow.

"Sora…" he said softly, hoping that the brown-haired teen would wake up soon. Sora simply hummed happily in response.

With a sigh, Roxas wrapped his arms around Sora before closing his eyes with a yawn.

Might as well make Sora his own pillow while he was at it.

* * *

_Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies. QQ._

_A/N: (sigh) I really should get back to working on _Intrigues_ and_ Heart of a Nobody_, but I'm having a bit of creative problem. If some of you are reading this collection as a time filler, I apologize for my slowness in updating the said two fics. I am at least working on the next chapter of _Intrigues_ right now and I'm making a goal to have it out next week. Until then, hope you've enjoyed the latest drabble/ficlet._


	17. Kokoro

_To recent reviewer:_

_White Evergreen: To be quite honest, I've only been to Japan once... and that was for a week with a Mandarin tour group. However, I found my experience to be very fun and not at all intimidating. It's probably because I've already lived in Taiwan for 8 years in my childhood and Taiwan's always been heavily influenced by Japanese culture (or was it the other way around? XD) Of course, there's anime which reflects Japanese culture, so I knew what to expect, hehe. The only thing that I really had to look up were the Japanese details about Tanabata, otherwise, everything was indeed from my own "experiences" so to speak. Thanks for reviewing._

* * *

_Ficlet #17_

_Word count: 213_

* * *

**心 – Heart**

* * *

"Don't you have a heart?"

People would always ask him that when he looked aloofly at the various patients who came to him for help. Always, he would diagnose them, write up a prescription and send them on their way.

Their friends and families would always look at him like he was a heartless bastard for his terse words and blunt behavior.

Whenever he went home, he stepped into the cold apartment that where he lived. There was never anyone there but him.

How he longed to change that.

"You do have a heart."

Someone once told him that. A bright smile and a mop of brown hair had brought a blush to his cheeks as the man commented on how cute and handsome he was.

His eyes were crystal blue and shone with optimism. But behind the sparkle, Roxas could see the soft understanding.

After all, Sora knew how painful it must've been for Roxas to care for every single patient that he had failed to save.

After all, Sora was the one who had almost died if it wasn't for Roxas.

As Roxas walked into the no-longer-so-cold apartment, he smiled at the familiar grinning face.

"Everyone has a heart. You just have to find it within the recesses of your soul."

* * *

_Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies. QQ._

_A/N: So when I titled this ficlet, I thought "Hmm, reminds me of _The Heart of a Nobody_"... Foreshadowing? Probably not... At least not for now anyways, haha. On another note, I accidentally got Lucky 7s for the total word count for this collection._


	18. Kodoku

_Ficlet #18_

_Word count: 271_

* * *

**孤独 – Loneliness**

* * *

Wherever he went, he would smell the lingering scents of _him_.

Wherever he went, he would taste the lingering flavors of _him_.

Wherever he went, he would see the lingering glimpses of _him_.

It drove Roxas crazy.

The house where he lived was too large for himself, devoid of life—devoid of a heart.

He longed to share his life with another. But the one he lived for had disappeared without a trace.

So now, the blond-haired musician sat forlornly in the confines of his study staring at the smoldering fireplace. The fire of the evening blaze had long since consumed the majority of the firewood.

The fire had left him cold and empty.

He had never felt so lonely. He had friends, yes, but none of them would ever understand.

A pair of arms wrapped around his shoulder.

Roxas was too enveloped by the cocoon of solitude to feel it.

"Roxas," a lilting voice snipped at the sticky, stringy cocoon.

"Who?" he whispered out.

"Roxas," the voice snipped at the cocoon again. This time, Roxas could feel the wispy pressure of the arms upon his shoulders.

Like a statue coming to life, Roxas shook off the dust that settled on him, turned around and saw a face that he never thought he would see again.

The smiling face of a brown-haired singer filled his vision. The scent of cinnamon and mint filled his nostrils. The taste of strawberries and chocolate filled his mouth.

The kiss had stolen his breath away. But Roxas could only lick his lips and wondered if his mind was playing tricks on him.

"I'm never alone."

* * *

_Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies. QQ._

_A/N: So very sorry. Got carried away between school starting, needing to apply to medical school, and various other crap that I needed to deal with in real life. In any case, I'm back with another set of drabbles that I'll be posting on a regular basis now. Hope you enjoyed this once._


	19. Ame

_To reviewer of Kodoku:_

_Cedarleaf: Oh me gosh! X3 I remember reading MKoG XD Annnyways, abandoning my fangirl state of mind, it's easy to relate to the feeling of feeling alone even though you're surrounded by people. It's not a good feeling to say the least. (sadface) Thanks for the comments. (smile)_

* * *

_Ficlet #19_

_Word count: 289_

* * *

**雨 – Rain**

* * *

Droplets of heaven fell down on him like a curtain of silk, causing the mop of his brown hair to droop down, tendril of his bangs matted to his forehead, but he didn't care. His eyes were bright and twinkled with light of exuberance. Laughter bubbled within him and he let loose a series of melodious sounds as he jumped from one puddle to another.

With a wide grin, Sora spun quickly to face his blond-haired companion who stood underneath the canvas awning of an empty café. He giggled softly upon seeing the wondering face of the teen who looked upward at the overcast sky.

"Come on, Roxas!" he shouted cheerfully before grabbing a hold of his wrist, preparing to pull him out into the spring rain.

Roxas yelped and was almost out from underneath the awning when he realized what Sora was doing. He quickly threw his weight backward and saved himself from becoming a drenched chicken.

Of course, Sora hadn't been expecting the sudden shift in weight and with a yelp of his own, he stumbled against Roxas and the pair fell onto the damp ground in a heap of surprise.

"Damn it, Sora," frowned Roxas as Sora's wet body dampened his previously dried clothes. Water dripped down from Sora's wet hair and splashed upon Roxas's face.

Roxas could've whined more to his drenched lover about his now ruined white jacket but the taste of Sora upon his lips from the spray of rain silenced his words. He mashed his lips against Sora's own.

Even when Sora guided him into the rain, he only felt the heat from his love and that was enough to ward off the spring rain as the torrential downpour fell upon them.

* * *

_Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies. QQ._

_A/N: Well, wasn't that cute and fluffy like Stitch? Hehe._


	20. Kage

_Ficlet #20_

_Word count: 144_

* * *

**影 – Shadow**

* * *

He was always in the shadows. Always in the shadows, just watching closely. The desire to achieve perfection in his behavior had often caused others to call him "a stalker".

But Roxas wasn't stalking. He had no intentions of owning his target like a stalker would. He had no intentions of doing harm to his target at all.

All he desired was the happiness of the brown-haired boy who had stolen his heart.

He watched as the teen fell in love with his best friends, with his new friends, with his classmates. He longed to be the one on the receiving end of Sora's affections.

But such a wish is impossible.

Separated by an impenetrable film that divided the Realm of Shadows and the Realm of Light, the two will never be together.

To love one's own shadow could only bring demise to both.

* * *

_Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies. QQ._

_A/N: I feel guilty for making promises and then breaking them… so I'm not going to say more about _Intrigues_ and _Heart of a Nobody. _ I will say that I _am_ working on them though. It's just taking a lot longer for me to write out these next couple of chapters than I thought. (sigh)_


	21. Matteita

_To reviewer of _Kage_:_

_Raxsah: Yeah, it is quite sad isn't it? At least I didn't kill anyone like I did in _Jiko_ (shifty eyes XP). Glad you liked it._

* * *

_Ficlet #21_

_Word count: 261_

* * *

**待っていた – Waiting**

* * *

Sora clutched the white jacket in his arms tightly. Beneath him, the waves of the turbulent sea crashed into the rocks, the cliff, the beach at laid at the foot for the sheer. Above him, gray clouds rolled across the sky waiting to release their burdensome loads onto the sea, the land, the grass, the tree, the buildings.

Himself.

Wind whipped around him like petulant kids begging to make a purchase in a toy store. Cold bit at him like the pain within his heart.

He gripped the white cotton jacket tighter watching the distant horizon. How long as it been since the war had started? How long has it been since he left?

"Sora," a soft voice came from behind him. The teen stilled, his tearing eyes widened with surprise. The soft tenor voice was oh-so-familiar. But Sora thought that his ears were simply playing as they have often done in the past.

In response, he simply smiled and whispered.

"I will always wait for you."

"Sora," the voice came again as a warm hand laid upon the brown-haired, blue-eyed teen. Sora gasped and quickly turned around to find the smiling face of a much leaner man. Recognizing the face as that of his beloved, the once-lonely man embraced the man who had joined a war to protect his country, the man who lived every agonizing minute separated from his love, the man who had returned triumphant.

"I was waiting for you," Sora whispered softly.

"I know…" replied Roxas with an equally-soft voice.

"I missed you dearly."

"And I, you."

* * *

_Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies. QQ._

_A/N: Getting back into the swing of things… I have a surprise for all my readers tomorrow, hehe. So look forward to it, 'kay? In other news, I feel like rambling about _358/2 Days_ and _Birth By Sleep._ Yes, I know I'm only 2 months too late to talk about the announcements at DK3713, but I haven't exactly been keeping up with the latest SE news, bah._

_Anyways, if you're like me (not checking the web 24/7 for all SE/KH news), they've announced the name of the 14__th__ member of Organization XIII (you can find more information on her on the KH wikia) and Ven looks exactly like Roxas… Even down to the same chessboard wristband. What the hell!? Granted, it makes me want to play BBS 'cause Ven sounds really cool and I'm always a sucker for more agile characters rather than more powerful ones, XP. On the other hand, the announcement of the 14__th__ member of Organization XIII sort of puts me off. Yet, I guess I still want to play it mainly because it's primarily Roxas's story and in some ways, I wonder when the hell did she show up and how long was she there for… seeing how they made no mentions of her in KH2 (I supposed Aqua's armor and Keyblade scene could hint at her existence… but meh)._

_Anyways, I'll stop rambling now. Kingdom Hearts wikia is always a good source of information if you wanted to look. Otherwise, look it up on Google; I'm sure there are plenty of KH-dedicated websites with information from the Square Enix Private Party: DKS3713._


	22. Yonaka

_To reviewers of _Matteita:

_Ironic-Sarcasm: Thanks for the support, haha. And I know! Ven and Roxas look exactly the same! Which kinda makes me wonder how is Sora related to Ven... and such and such. And then based on the description of Xion... it makes me wonder if she's the "Nobody" of Aqua... But those remain speculations! Still, I wouldn't doubt that there's any connection between Terra and Riku, Aqua and Kairi, and Ventus and Sora, XD._

_x13xlovesx8x: It's okay if you don't review them all, at least I know you're reading them now, XP. And the title is "Matteita" which technically means "Was waiting" ("matteiru" would be the present tense of "waiting"), hence Sora's first words to Roxas in the ficlet, hehe._

* * *

_Ficlet #22_

_Word count: 158_

* * *

**夜中 – Midnight**

* * *

The church bell was chiming; the owls hooting. Under the full moon hung in a cloudless sky, Sora and Roxas watched the world pass them by.

It was midnight in the city that never sleeps. The pair of men sat on the balcony of their apartment in a high rise building looking down at the lights that danced underneath them. Raucous voices reached them in drones while neon lights of Time Square flashed with the sounds of the city.

Behind them, a small stereo sang. The strains of Utada Hikaru's "Heart Station" mixed with the cooling air.

Sora took hold of Roxas's hand and smiled.

_-Hanareteite mo anata wa koko ni iru_- (Even if you leave, you are still here)

_-Watashi no HAATO no mannaka-_ (In the middle of my heart)

Roxas held Sora's hand lovingly and looked towards the starlit sky where a shooting star streaked across the sky to rival the brilliance of the pale moon.

* * *

_Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies. QQ._

_A/N: In case you didn't realize, I looooooove the "Heart Station" album. I think more so than "Ultra Blue", hehe. I think it's time for sillier or sadder ficlets now (gasp)._


	23. Koe

_Ficlet #23_

_Word count: 246_

* * *

**声 – Voice**

* * *

Sora has never been more scared than ever before in his life.

Dazzling light shone down on him mercilessly, blinding him.

Beads of sweat dribbled down the side of his face in streams.

He gulped as he looked out into the darkness. Faint twinkles moved about the darkness.

But none shone as brightly as the lights.

The strains of introduction accompaniment echoed, but Sora didn't seem to hear them.

However, he heard the murmurs as he fidgeted under the intense light. His hands gripped tightly.

A series of clicks met his ears off to the right. He gasped as he turned to see a blushing Roxas who clutched a microphone in his left hand with the corner of a folded sheet of white paper sticking out haphazardly from his pocket.

His blond-haired boyfriend lifted the microphone to his lips and to sing in his tenor voice. Sora's eyes widened slightly at the sound. The waver of the voice was there, but he could tell that Roxas was trying his hardest to keep it from being heard over the sensuous accompaniment of clarinet, saxophone, piano, and strings.

Sora smiled at Roxas, his eyes twinkling with thanks.

And brought his own microphone up to his lips.

Even though Roxas wasn't a great singer, his voice harmonized with Sora's own.

At that moment, all of the unfounded fears faded from Sora's mind.

Sora has never been more confident than ever before in his life.

Their voices had become one.

* * *

_Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies. QQ._

_A/N: I wrote this sort of a sequel to an earlier ficlet (see _Resutoran_). Hence Sora's stage fright, XD. Granted, I could see Sora getting stage fright despite the fact that he "technically" has been on stage with the Coliseum stuff. But remember that he was "fighting for his life" then. I'd think no one would pay attention to the audience if his/her life is at risk, haha. But that's enough blabbering from me. Hope you enjoyed the ficlet._


	24. Sayonara

_To reviewers of _Koe_ and such:_

_Cedarleaf: Technically it was Sora's first vocal concert. But since he had a bad case of the stage frights, Roxas, who would've helped him compose the songs, had to step up and help him sing too. It was cute to be sure, haha._

_Andantenne to Percupine: Glad you liked so many fics. Sora/Roxas is such a cute pairing. XD_

_Levski: Why thank you. I'll try to keep up the good work too (wink)._

_

* * *

Ficlet #24_

_Word count: 299_

_Warning: Character death. TT_

* * *

**さよなら – Good-bye**

* * *

Silence surrounded him like a comforting cocoon, shielding him from the torrent of emotions that struggled to cut in and drown him. A soft breeze tousled his unusually tamed spiky hair and caressed him like a lover's touch. The blond-haired man raised his eyes in mild surprise and whispered the name.  
"Sora?"

A sad smile tugged at the corner of his lips and he looked back down at the marble finality that lied over the grass.

How long had he been standing there? Staring down at the marker with such intensity as to bring back the dead?

He let out an amused laugh as he shook his head at his own foolishness. Sora wouldn't have wanted him to dwell on the past, especially when what happened was completely out of their hands.

It wasn't their fault that Sora's leukemia relapsed and worsened faster than they expected. By the time that they finally realized that it was the leukemia that was killing him and not some other disease, it was already too late.

Roxas just wished that they had more time to spend with one another outside of the hospital.

The mourning man smiled a happy smile as he made peace with himself, knowing exactly what he needed to do—to move on with his life and live for both himself and his departed love.

He laid down the single red rose that had been biting into the palm of his hand for however long since he first arrived in the empty cemetery.

"Good-bye, Sora."

As he turned, he felt that a weight had been lifted from his heart. His first steps away from the tombstone were light and full of hope. A beaming smile appeared on his face as he continued his path away from the past.

"Sayonara, Roxas."

_

* * *

Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies. QQ._

_A/N: Yay, a new ficlet! A bit sad, but also a bit happy. Hope you liked it._

_On another note, since I never actually know when I'm going to post another ficlet nowadays, I'm going to put the status of this collection as complete for now. That does not, by any means, mean that I'm done with the collection. It just means that I'm not going to commit myself to a regular update when I know I can't make it. Thanks for all your support and look forward to the next installment of _The Heart of a Nobody_, coming out, hopefully, before Christmas._


	25. Chokoreeto

_To reviewers of _Sayonara_ and such:_

_Levski: It is sad yet, at the same time, rather heartwarming don't you think?_

_The Light of Darkness: Thanks, 8D  
_

_Cedarleaf: You could say that, haha. But if you took _Kodoku_ literally, it just means that Sora went out of the country or something and came back, yeah? XP_

_Truten: To be quite honest, I still like _Ultra Blue_, though when I first heard the songs (after being introduced to "Passion" for the first time), I wasn't that into the style. While it is true that the songs on _Heart Station_ are mostly in the same style, I actually like the more ballady-style of songs, heh. It's all a matter of personal taste really, XP. And no worries about the reviews, I never really expect anyone to review so religiously anyhow, XP_

_

* * *

Ficlet #24_

_Word count: 314_

* * *

**チョコレート - Chocolate**

* * *

"Life is like a box of chocolates," said Roxas out of the blue.

Sora raised an eyebrow at the teen that sat on the other side of the table and took another sip of his chocolate shake.

"Quoting _Forrest Gump_, eh?" he said, looking down at his shake before stirring it with the straw to stop the icier parts from clumping together.

"Don't you think it's true though?" asked Roxas. "Dark chocolate's bitter; milk chocolate's sweet; white chocolate's creamy."

"I guess that would make chocolate with almonds a hard time?" the brown-haired teen replied absent-mindedly.

Roxas shot him a look. "I'm being serious here," he said with a huff.

Sora hated these philosophical discussions, but to let Roxas indulge in one of his eccentricities, he set aside the half-finished chocolate shake to regard the blonde more seriously.

"If you were to describe love with chocolate," he began, "what would it be?"

"For us?" asked Roxas. It was his turn to raise an eyebrow at the other; he hadn't thought that Sora would actually turn his own thought back on him."

"Yeah," he replied. "I think that for us, it would be strawberries covered with dark chocolate and decorated with a mix of all three different chocolates."

"That can describe every single love," scoffed Roxas. "I think it's more like two different truffles, one being dark chocolate filled with raspberry ganache and the other being white chocolate filled with milk chocolate cream."

"And they symbolize?"

"You and me; sex and cuddling; whatever you want them to symbolize." The words brought a blush to Sora's handsome face. Roxas's grin only caused Sora to blush even more.

"You're terrible," he said.

"Let's go home so we can share the chocolates," said Roxas, standing up from the table.

"To eat ourselves sick?" joked Sora.

"Only if you want to," retorted Roxas, giving his love a quick kiss on the lips.

_

* * *

Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies. QQ._

_A/N: Rather corny ficlet for a corny day (wink). It's a bit late—almost post-Valentine's, but I'm shamelessly self-promoting by keeping the collection on the first page longer than it would've been if I had posted earlier, haha. Happy Singles Awareness Day! XD_


	26. Tsumetai kusa

_Ficlet #26_

_Word count: 255_

* * *

**冷たい草 – Cold Grass**

* * *

Sora shivered as his skin came in contact with the cold morning dew decorating the green grass, freshly cut and tickled at the bottom of his feet. Above him, the signs of a crisp morning shimmered across the purple-pink-orange sky. Near the distant horizon, a wave of rolling clouds lapped at the rising sun, eager to shield the cold ground from the hot sun.

The boy took in a deep breath, smelling the grass that permeated the meadow air. A breeze swept across the empty land and bit at the warmth of the boy's body. Goosebumps marred the usually smooth skin. A pair of hands reached over and covered the shivering teen with a warm woolen jacket.

"You idiot," muttered Roxas sleepily. Sora simply grinned at him.

Around them, the meadow danced underneath the breezes, the dew drops sprayed across the air and colored the green grass with red, blue, yellow, orange. A sliver of the large sun peeked over the horizon, its image shimmering with the morning grass.

Sora breathed a sigh of content and fell backwards onto the grass, laughing as the grass tickled at his skin. Beside him, Roxas sat down, his fingers tracing the length of a blade of grass absent-mindedly.

"This is a perfect morning," sighed Sora.

"So it is," replied Roxas.

Sora pulled the still sitting blonde down and close to him, snuggling against the teen happily.

The morning sun rose to greet the two sleeping boys on the wet grass and caressed their bodies with her warming rays.

* * *

_Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies. QQ._

_A/N: Not much to talk about here. Just another fluffy fic I thought about for Valentine's._


	27. Omoide

_To reviewer of Chochoreeto and Tsumetai kusa:_

_Levski: I'm thinking Stitch shouting "I like cute and fluffy!" when I read your reviews, XD Thanks for the support.  
_

* * *

_Ficlet #27_

_Word count: 208_

* * *

**思い出 – Memory**

* * *

"Do you remember the first time we met each other?"

"Hmm?" _How could I not? Olette had deliberately bumped me into you so I would talk to you. The fact that in doing so, she also inadvertently caused you to spill your glass of rum and coke onto your shirt, made it absolutely necessary for me to interact with you._

"You bumped into me and apologized so profusely that I got so annoyed at you." Sora chuckled at that. "Of course, when you blushed, I could only think how handsome you were then."

"Oh." _What, am I not handsome now?_

Sora wrapped his arms around the once-blond-haired teen, careful not to jostle the IV line that brought the necessary nutrients to the sickly body. Thick gauze wrapped about the bald head, covering the scars from the multiple brain surgeries he's undergone to get rid of the malignant brain tumor that refused to go into remission.

"Do you remember my name?"

_What kind of question is that?_ "Sora. I would never forget that." Roxas smiled softly.

Sora's smile faltered.

"Sora," the teen said with conviction. "I will _never_ forget you. Have faith in me."

His smile came back, more brilliant than ever.

"Of course. I'm sorry for doubting you."

* * *

_Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies. QQ._

_A/N: So yes, Roxas has brain cancer in here and every time he has a surgery, he forgets more of his past. And the reason why he has to have surgery is because the cancer doesn't respond to chemotherapy (duh!). Originally I had the idea of making it so that only Sora's reminiscing at Roxas's grave or something, or Roxas has AIDS-induced Alzheimer's, but neither one of them would end on a better note, so I opted not to do that._


	28. Joudan janai

_Ficlet #28_

_Word count: 323_

* * *

**冗談じゃない – Not Kidding**

* * *

Sora had been watching an episode of NCIS when it happened.

The door to his room cracked open slightly as if the visitor had hoped that the brown-haired teen was sleeping or busy with something else other than watching a taped episode. Roxas stepped in tentatively just as Abby Sciutto was trying to get Timothy McGee's attention while he worked at his desk with Tony DiNozzo watching on from his own desk in the "bullpen".

"Sora, can I talk to you for a moment?" said Roxas nervously. The brown-haired teen blinked with confusion at the strange request before hitting pause right before Abby was going to make a rather disturbing announcement to McGee. He turned to regard his lover seriously.

"I'm all ears," he said with a grin.

"I'm pregnant with your child," blurted the blond-haired man.

Sora's eyes widened with shock. "What? How?" he sputtered. "Are you serious?" he asked gravely.

Roxas nodded. "I'm not kidding. I just came back from the doctor's. I've even got the ultrasound to prove it."

The brown-haired man's jaw dropped open at the news and stared at his lover's abdominal region.

"It's a girl by the way. And I'm calling her April." Sora was still in a daze when he heard the words.

"April huh…" he parroted before his eyes wandered over to the oversized calendar on his wall. His vision landed upon a particular date circled with red sharpie with the words "Don't be fooled!" He blushed upon realizing what had just happened. When he looked at Roxas again, he knew that he had walked right into it.

A grin had appeared on the blond-haired man's face when Sora had blushed with embarrassment. "Got'cha!" he laughed.

"Damn it, Roxas!" exclaimed Sora, his face completely red. He harrumphed and pushed the "play" button on the remote. His lover simply snickered before kissing the awkward man on the cheek.

_"__You're not listening to a word I'm saying. I'm pregnant, McGee. Twins. Haven't told the father yet. It's Gibbs. I know it's wrong, but something about his silver hair just gets me all tingly inside,__" Abby had said as Tony stared at her with __obvious __horror on his face while McGee remains unperturbed._

* * *

_Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies. QQ._

_A/N: I sort of just thought up this ficlet on a whim on April Fool's Day for funnies. As you can see, I'm an NCIS fan and the episode that I'm referring to is _Mind Games_ (Season 3, episode 3)_._ It's certainly worth a watch if you're into law enforcement drama but with more humor than _Law and Order_ or _The Closer_. Abby and McGee ftw!_

_While I could've made Sora be the one who was "pregnant", I doubt he could be deadpan when he announces it, XD. Hope you enjoyed it._


	29. Nijiiro

_Ficlet #29_

_Word count: 259_

* * *

**虹色 - Rainbow**

* * *

Red. Roja. Aka. Hon. Rouge. Rot. Rosso. They are the colors of blood. To Sora, it was the color of his love. To Roxas, it was the color of the strawberries ready to eat.

Orange. Naranja. Orenji. Jiu. Orange. Orangen. Arancione. They are the colors of a fruit full of vitamin C. To Roxas, it was the color of the sun in Twilight Town. To Sora, it was the color of Roxas's room.

Yellow. Amarillo. Kiiro. Huang. Jaune. Gelb. Giallo. They are the colors of a star that lit up the world. To Sora, it was the color of the sandy beach near their home. To Roxas, it was the color of Paopu fruit.

Green. Verde. Midori. Lü. Vert. Grün. Verde. They are the colors of trees, grass, vegetables, endless meadows. To Roxas, it was the color of the warm water that crashed over the sandy beach where they spent many afternoons. To Sora, it was the color the palm trees that dotted Destiny Islands

Blue. Azul. Ao. Lan. Bleu. Blau. Azzurro. They are the colors of a cloudless sky mirrored by a calm sea. To Sora, it was the color of their eyes. To Roxas, it was the color of his passion.

Violet. Violeta. Sumire. Zhi. Violette. Veilchen. Violetta. To Roxas, it was the color of twilight—the night at its darkest before dawn. To Sora, it was the color of the unseen worlds.

For Sora, his love is red; burning bright within his hot-blooded heart. For Roxas, his love is blue; calming and steadfast against all adversities.

* * *

_Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies. QQ._

_A/N: Hmm, not one of my favorite ficlets in this collection. I don't even know why I had even bothered posting it. Maybe it's because it's done, haha. Or maybe I just wanted to experiment with something else. Needless to say, I think the experiment was a grand failure, XD. I guess I'll stay away from the more subjective topics and the listing stuff from now on._

_Oh, by the way, if you were wondering what languages I used, it's English (duh), Spanish, Japanese, Mandarin, French, German, and Italian. I was gonna toss Portuguese in there, but it was too much like Spanish. Maybe I should've used Swedish instead, hmm._

_Lastly, I changed the rating for this collection since after reviewing the criteria, I felt that there's more stuff that more mature teens can handle (namely Sekkusu). Besides, I was originally writing for 15-18 year olds in mind.  
_


	30. Hidoi sekai

_To reviewers of Nijiiro:_

_Skilla: I'm glad that you look forward to each update and thanks for the Finnish words for the colors. I wasn't actually aware that Swedish was very much like English, but I do now, haha._

_XxXmaximuM-RideRXxX: Thanks for the review._

* * *

_Ficlet #30_

_Word count: 328_

* * *

_Warning: Character death...  
_

* * *

**酷い世界 – Cruel World**

* * *

The rain was falling. The wind was blowing.

The eye of the storm had become the battleground for two. And it was the only place those two could be at that very moment.

"Come back with me!" shouted Sora. A nasty gash on his forehead poured blood into his right eye, forcing him to close it shut. Scrapes and cuts were numerous about his robed body, but still he wouldn't remain defeated. He had hope for the future; hope that Roxas would return with him.

That same hope was forsaken in the world.

"I have no intentions of returning," replied Roxas. While Sora looked very much injured, Roxas was practically unharmed. His eyes gleamed coldly and clearly and Sora hated those eyes.

"Why won't you come home!" screamed Sora.

"There is no reason for me to return," the blond-haired man said. Sora's breath hitched in his lungs; the blond-haired man's words cutting into his heart like a sharp blade.

"Then kill me!" the brown-haired man cried, grimacing as he stood back up, his feet planted firmly on top of the surface of the water that was eerily calm where they stood but churned violently outside of the eye.

Wordlessly, Roxas pulled out the long sword that had been sheathed by his side upon Sora's sounded defeat. Without blinking or giving it a second thought, the cold-hearted man ran his sword through Sora's unguarded body. Blood and tears splattered onto his stony face but he did not acknowledge the sight of death.

The brown-haired teen's face was stained with tears that continued to fall even after his death. His eyes remained open and hollowed to haunt whoever sees them as his slid off the sword like a rag doll before sinking into the depths of the water.

Around him, the storm continued to howl but the spell had been broken. With a ghost of a sad smile, Roxas allowed the storm to consume the eye and swallow him up.

* * *

_Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies. QQ._

_A/N: Hmm… Don't know what exactly prompted me to write this rather abrupt ficlet. Granted, I originally had the idea of writing the entire thing in Japanese, but thought that was too much work. B'sides, I couldn't find my Japanese textbook to remind myself of all the correct grammars and stuff. But just for some funzies, here is the dialogue in Japanese._

_Ore to kaete! – "Come back with me!"_

_Ore wa kaeranai tsumori da. – "I have no intentions of returning."_

_Doushite kaeranainda! – "Why won't you come home!"_

_Ore wa kaeru no riyuu ga nai. – "There is no reason for me to return."_

_Dewa, ore o korosete kure! – "Then kill me!"_


	31. Aisu

_To reviewers of Hidoi sekai and such:_

_NinjaSheik: Thanks._

_Ironic-Sarcasm: I s'pose it'd be befitting if I reply with DX or such, neh?_

_XxXmaximuM-RideRXxX: Well, Sora kicks Roxas's ass in certain ways, (wink)._

_xDark-Bladex: Lol, I do play WoW. I thought it would be nice to pay tribute to some of the game that I play (besides Squeenix of course, haha). Thanks for all the compliments on the writing. I try not to be too straightforward with my stories, because, let's face it, that'd be rather bland no matter how interesting the concept might be. I hope you'll read some of my other KH works besides this collection of ficlets. I don't exactly recommend you read my non-KH-related works since they were written years ago; I keep them around just as a reminder of how immature my writing was back then, haha.  
_

* * *

_Ficlet #31_

_Word count: 592_

* * *

**アイス – Ice Cream**

* * *

Roxas's mouth watered with anticipation as he filled a bowl up with warm water. He hummed happily to himself with a smile on his face, placing the ice cream scoop in his hand into the lukewarm water. He pulled it back out and shook off the excess droplets that stuck to the metal before sinking it into the not-too-hard yet not-too-soft substance in the carton in front of him. He pulled the scoop towards him, eyes gleaming with delight as the creamy sea salt ice cream balled up into a smooth sphere. He quickly popped the scoop of deliciousness into a large bowl that he had left in the freezer for an hour before returning to the carton.

He scooped up another ball of sea salt ice cream and popped it right next to the first one. He swallowed down the saliva that began to pool in his mouth and licked his lips. He then dunked the scoop into the lukewarm water and watched as the water became murky with dissolved ice cream mixed into the once-clear water. Shaking off the excess water once again, he continued to scoop out the delicious treat out of the carton and into the cold bowl, disturbing wisps of steam with each scoop.

Four more scoops later, Roxas was finally satisfied with the amount of the icy delight. He recapped the carton and replaced it in its place within the freezer. He then tossed the ice cream scoop along with the bowl of murky sky blue water into the sink, letting the sound of "clunk" ring out in the kitchen. He grabbed a spoon from the drawer and quickly delivered a spoonful of the light sky blue ice cream into his waiting, gaping mouth. He moaned softly as the treat melted, filling his mouth with the familiar salty-sweet flavor.

Upon reaching the living room, he plopped down onto the leather sofa and sank into it with a sigh of content. A TV show ran on the plasma in front of him, but he wasn't paying attention to it. All he cared about at that moment was himself and his bowl of sea salt ice cream.

The front door opened with a creak before being slammed shut as Sora entered the house. "Roxas! I'm home!" he called out, tossing the car keys onto the shoe cabinet next to the door. There was no reply but Sora didn't need to wait long to discover why his love hadn't answered.

His eyes lit up upon seeing the bowl of ice cream that was nestled in Roxas's arms.

"Ooh! Ice cream!" Sora exclaimed before reaching for the spoon that was clutched in the blond-haired man's right hand.

"Mine!" grumbled Roxas as he turned away from Sora, effectively keeping his love from getting to the bowl and the spoon. "My ice cream." He glared at the brown-haired man as if daring the other to try and pry the spoon and the bowl from his hands.

Sora pouted petulantly. "Ice cream miser." Roxas's immediate reaction was to stick his tongue out at the brunet, only to have his lover burst out into laughter upon seeing the blue-tinted tongue of the ice cream eater. Roxas huffed and returned to his ice cream, moaning in disappointment when he saw that his treat was melting.

The brown-haired man smiled and reached over to place a quick kiss upon Roxas's cheek.

"Be right back," he simply said before bounding out of the room to get his own bowl of ice cream.

The TV continued to run.

* * *

_Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies. QQ._

_A/N: I thought it was time for a sillier ficlet, even though this was quite long compared to all of my other ficlets thus far. This is more of a T-rated version of an earlier one—I'm sure you all know which one I'm referring to, XD—but it's still slightly risqué with Roxas's behavior (wink). The last sentence felt kinda awkward as an end for the fic, but I can't really come up with something not as cliched as say, "That afternoon was perfect for ice cream"... meh._

_In any case, the next chapter for _Intrigues_ is coming along nicely, though I have a suspicion that it's going to be a rather short chapter. However, the chapter after that should be coming out sooner than later (I hope) to make up for the length of wait you guys who follow that fic had to endure thus far, hehe._


	32. Yakyuu

_To reviewers of Aisu and others:_

_NinjaSheik: I took a year of Japanese at college. I wish I had taken more Japanese though. As for the Kanji part, it helps that you've learned Mandarin for over a decade, haha, since Japanese is technically derived from Mandarin._

_Subaku13: What, are you going to stalk me now!? XD. But if anyone actually cares, I play a Gnome mage by the name of Bramble. Look me up on Armory. And of course, I had to make Roxas act younger than he actually is. I mean, we're talking about ice cream here!_

_xXxSmidgexXx: Oh, I don't know. I don't think Roxas would relinquish his ice cream even with a kiss, haha._

_Cedarleaf: I guess everyone have different tastes then, 8D. Speaking of ice cream misers, I do rather wonder if Roxas would share ice cream in game… Hmm… Lol._

_The Only Love For Soujirou Seta: Glad to know you like them. X3_

_

* * *

Ficlet #32_

_Word count: 351_

* * *

**野球 – Baseball**

* * *

Sora stared intently at the figure standing stiffly some ten yards away from him. The feel of the smooth worn handle of a wooden bat comforted him as moved his hands about behind him, drawing small circles with the tip of the bat in the air though he couldn't see it.

He shifted his weight a little bit, hearing the sound of clumped dirt and tiny pebbles crunching against the hard ground. A determined smile graced his face as he watched the tension released from the figure's body. His movement with the bat grew wider behind him in preparation of the incoming pitch.

The teen that stood on the mound took in a deep breath and exhaled with equal ferocity. He adjusted his grip on the ball in his right hand, careful to hide the form in his gloves. With the balance of a ballerina on her tiptoes, he lifted his left leg up and pulled his arm back, throwing the ball mere seconds after he had started the entire pitch.

As the pitch came, Sora's smile grew wider and he quickly swung the bat, his eyes glowing as the resounding crack sang loudly from the contact of the bat with the fastball. He pushed the contact as hard as he could toward the open skies and completed the follow through with ease.

The ball sailed through the air that rippled with the crowd's noise before falling back down to the stadium beyond the right field.

_He's done it! The fifth career grand slam by the prodigal Sora Lockhart and the Destiny Island Rays win the world series!_

The first person who met him at home plate after he rounded the three bases smiled at him brightly and latched onto him just as Sora somersaulted the last few feet to land dead center on the white home plate.

"We won! We won!" Sora cheered.

"And it's all thanks to you," laughed Roxas.

"Don't forget your pitching," replied Sora as the two looked at the LED scoreboard.

_Destiny Islands 4, Trabia 3. Winning Pitcher: Roxas Strife – 7 IP, 3 ERA, 5 K._

_

* * *

Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies. QQ._

_A/N: So… I would've included a kiss between Roxas and Sora to make it more plausible that Roxas and Sora are a couple, but at the same time, I felt like if I did, I'd have a rather long ficlet that just didn't seem to sit right with this collection—since I would be inclined to elaborate on the entire crowd reaction and possible consequent media coverage etc. etc… Maybe I'll write a ficlet with the entire homophobic issue as a topic, lol._


	33. Hoka no yakusoku

_To reviewers of Yakyuu:_

_NinjaSheik: Here's the update._

_Subaku13: You'll just have to guess which gender my cute Gnome is, XP. Might want to check my avatar for the gender of most of my characters (wink)... though I will have to admit, she looks rather androgynous, DX.  
_

_xXxSmidgexXx: Can't help it, XD. Would be amusing to see what would've happened if they did kiss though... hmm.  
_

* * *

_Ficlet #33_

_Word count: 270_

* * *

**他の約束 – The Other Promise**

* * *

Sora's callused fingers brushed over the cold white and black tentatively. A shiver ran down his spine and his legs, leaving a tingling feel behind. He laid one hand on the hard surfaces and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath as he took in the silence around him. A loud ticking echoed through the room, bouncing off the polished wooden slats of the floor and the stucco plaster on the crumbling walls. It caused him to sway to its rhythmic sound, his one foot not on the pedals to tap in place.

He disengaged a pedal before pressing down with one finger, the crisp sound of the familiar C4 sang, washing over the brown-haired man with its rich tone. He closed his eyes and quickly played a chromatic scale with one hand, the sounds blending with each other into one rich simple melody.

The last note of the scale sang richly, supported by all of the previous sounds that had yet to dissipate into the air. A peaceful smile came upon his face as he laid both of his hands on the pristine, yet well worn, ivory keys.

_E5. A4. G4. E5. A4. G4. E5. A4. F5. A4. G4…_

_ A2. D3. E3. Hold until third A4. A2 chord. Repeat…_

A pair of hands stopped the song in midway and the piano player's eyes snapped open in surprise.

The interrupted song was slow to fade away as hand gestures formed a silent sentence.

"Because," smiled Sora, placing a gentle kiss upon the mute blonde's lips, "it reminds me of your voice and the other promise that will never be broken."

* * *

_Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies. QQ._

_A/N: The notes in italics are based on the sheet music that two people—Xald and Remizen—arranged for "The Other Promise" from the KH2 soundtrack (composed by the talented Shimomura Yoko of course). The bass notes, which is what the second line of italics is for, are more or less based on the actual song. You can find the sheet music for the song and many others at SquareSound-dot-com. Certainly worth a gander if you have a sudden urge to play KH songs, hehe._


	34. Uta

_To reviewers of Hoka no Yakusoku__ and such:_

_NinjaSheik: Yup, Sora's awesome, that's why we love him._

_xXxSmidgexXx: I actually don't know either, but that's not really relevant, now is it? XP_

_terra hotaru: I think it's more like mash lips together rather than an actual kiss, haha. I wish I could have real takoyaki again... not those frozen ones from the Japanese market... cry~!_

* * *

_Ficlet #34_

_Word count: 464_

* * *

**歌 – Song**

* * *

The house was like a rock concert for 2000 people crammed into a 1000 square feet room. Sora had to stick his fingers into his ears hard lest his hearing gets completely shot. He muttered a few curses to himself aloud, though his voice was drowned in the sea of Coldplay. Taking the few steps from the front door to the stereo, he used his elbow to hit the "standby" button on the stereo. Instantly, the deafening sound lessened, though still unacceptably loud.

He voiced a few more curses, this time in Japanese, before making his way over to the kitchen, where another stereo sat blasting away. He turned that one off and breathed a sigh of relief as the volume of the music became considerably softer. Though another stereo was obviously playing somewhere in the house, it sounded like it was muffled behind doors.

As he headed upstairs, he reasoned that the music was coming from Roxas's study. He opened the door to find the stereo blaring but the blond-haired occupant seemed not to mind. A pair of noise-canceling headphones sat comfortably atop the man's head. While Roxas's lips moved, Sora knew that he wasn't singing the lyrics to the song, especially when the said-man was staring quite intently into the thick textbook in front of him. Yet, Sora couldn't hear what his lover was saying over the din of the stereo.

He stomped his way over to the stereo and turned it off. Roxas's singing voice immediately replaced the former ruckus with a simple tune.

"Ru, u, tsu tte," he sang to the tune of the alphabet song. "Ku ite, gu ide, su shite."

He stopped in mortification after this line when he no longer heard the muffled sound of Coldplay playing in the background. His face paled further before red glowed on his face like face paint. Roxas slowly and hesitantly turned towards the stereo and found Sora's grinning face staring back at him.

"Sora!" he exclaimed with a sputter, pulling the headphones off of his head in the process.

The brown-haired man gave a mischievous cackle before leaning over to read the lyrics to the song that Roxas had just been caught singing. His grin widened upon realizing that Roxas was actually studying Japanese grammar in the form of a children's song.

"Nu, mu, bu nde; ru, u, tsu tte; ku ite, gu ide, su shite. These are all the u verbs, then there are the ru verbs," sang Sora to the familiar tune. "Drop the ru, add a te. Kuru kite, suru shite, iku itte." Roxas's face remained a strawberry red.

"Nice song," Sora commented with a chuckle before placing a kiss on his lover's heated cheek and leaving him to his study. Roxas simply groaned in mock despair.

* * *

_Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies. QQ._

_A/N: So the song in question was actually used in my Japanese class. It was a way for us to remember the conjugation for the "te" form, which also applied for the past tense "ta" form. I just thought Roxas could potentially learn Japanese like this and wondered how he and Sora would react to the song, hehe._


	35. Jiyuu

_To reviewers of _Uta_ and such:_

_Andantenne to Percupine: Hehe. He is indeed. Of course, if he wasn't cute in these ficlets, I would slap myself for doing injustice to Roxas._

_xXxSmidgexXx: Um, not sure what you meant by this review. But if you're saying that Sora's an uke… then you're probably right about that, haha._

_NinjaSheik: Well, I wouldn't say a lot of things, but I'd like to enlighten my readers._

_Sheep are Fluffy: Needs more Japanese, right? XD_

_Forgotten Lullaby: Just to set the records straight, this is a collection of ficlets, so they're really small one-shots. They shouldn't be read like a normal multi-chaptered fic with a preexisting storyline. If you wanted a multi-chaptered fic, then I'd like to direct you to either _The Heart of a Nobody_ or _The Melancholy of Sora Kazano_ (shameless self promotion, go!). By the way, don't worry if you don't review. I think I've stated that in an Author's note somewhere along the line._

_In any case, instant noodle's got nothing on true Japanese ramen. I'm sure you can find a J-town in NYC or find a ramen restaurant on Yelp._

_Some of my ficlets incorporate metaphorical descriptors, which sounded okay when I wrote it and read it, but it's good that you mentioned it, maybe other people didn't get it either. The glass is meant to be an invisible barrier, suggesting that the groom's true lover's been watching him this whole time but staying out of sight. As for how the bride found true love, think of the marriage as being arranged by the parents._

_Regarding how the Japanese might find Roxas, I'd think they'd swarm over him because apparently Japanese people love American things, haha._

_I wouldn't say that my writing style's changed, but more of my treatments of certain topics are different, so what you read might seem off? At least, that's what I'm seeing it as._

* * *

_Ficlet #35_

_Word count: 579_

* * *

**自由 – Freedom**

* * *

Roxas looked out of the barred window in his cell with longing. Each sound of laughter and children playing in the dust filled streets struck a pang in his heart. He could only imagine what Sora was doing right now.

He growled at himself, tearing his eyes away from the purple-orange sky. There was no use dwelling on the freedom that he had so easily relinquished. All because of his stupidity. He had played into the baron's hand like a moth to a flame.

He knew he should've been more careful after he had denied the man of a priceless sword that came out of his smithy. But he had been too ignorant to sell another sword to one of the baron's henchmen only to find it as the murder weapon against Lord Cavendish, who had recently arrived for the baron's daughter's hand in marriage.

The baron had spewed out in rage as though the man had approved of the visiting lord's proposal, accusing Roxas of being secretly in love with his daughter and had murdered Lord Cavendish to prevent this marriage.

As if he would be in love with that troll of a daughter.

The sun had set and the other men in this smelly prison all laid in their own pile of sweat covered hays in preparation for sleep. Roxas knew that many of the men in this particular cell were wrongly accused of a crime after crossing the baron, but none of them would be executed in the morning at the gallows as he had been sentence to. A sigh escaped from his lips, but there was no use. He just wished that he could see his friends again before he died.

The sound of feet softly pattering down the stairs met Roxas's sharp hearing, but the armored guards who sat at the table sharpening their weapons didn't hear it. Two grunts and crashes of metal against stone later, Roxas found himself joining the many other prisoners at the bars, looking at what had just happened down the corridor. Harsh whispers traveled down the hallway but the blond-haired teen couldn't understand it. His eyes widened upon seeing the hooded faces of the intruders.

"He's over here!" Kairi hissed, waving at her comrade. Hayner quickly fiddled with the prison keys and found the one for Roxas's cell. He unlocked it and pulled the door open, no longer caring if the squeak of the door hinges would alert others. The pair pulled Roxas out of the cell immediately and hurried him down the hall.

"Free the others," Roxas called back, giving his cellmates a roguish grin as they quickly escaped and freed the others with the keys.

He didn't have time to relish in his first breath of cooled fresh air before Hayner and Kairi practically stuffed him into a cart of hay. The pair quickly disappeared into the darkness before the cart began rolling down a surprisingly empty thoroughfare.

"Hi," smiled Sora, turning around to face Roxas. Riku continued on without looking back, waving at Naminé, Olette, and Pence at the gates before they too disappeared to find their own horses to leave this town.

"Uh, hi," replied Roxas awkwardly, wondering how long they've planned this breakout.

"Man, you smell like crap," commented Riku jokingly once they entered the forest.

"Gee, thanks. You try staying clean in that crap hole," jested Roxas before he laughed freely, sighing with relief as the moon over their heads shone brightly.

* * *

_Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies. QQ._

_A/N: Blech, I guess it's been a while since I've written a drabble, so this turned out longer and ended somewhat abruptly, I'll have to admit. Still, I've had this thing bobbling in my head for awhile, so here's the result, haha. In terms of where and when this ficlet takes place, think sometimes in the 17__th__ or 18__th__ century in Europe or the Caribbean's, haha._

_Anyways, I'm hoping to get the next chapter of _Heart of a Nobody_ out within the next week and the next chapter of _Intrigues_ within the next two weeks. Sorry if you've been waiting for an update on those fics. I'm sure they're long overdue._


	36. Uaua

_To reviewers of Jiyuu:_

_xXxSmidgexXx: Actually, "aoi" is the adjective form for "blue". "Ao" is "blue" as a noun. Same goes for "red" ("akai" is adjective and "aka" is noun) and the other "i" color words, so like white—"shiro" and black—"kuro". Yellow, as a noun, is "kiiro" and "kiiro no" (or "kiiroi") as an adjective. Orange is "orenji" and "orenji no" respectively, while for green, it's "midori" and "midori no". Learn something new every day right? Hehe._

_NinjaSheik: Lol, I didn't even notice that I had updated on Akuroku day. Totally unintentional on my part. I just thought to get that ficlet out as soon as I had written it. Like this next one, hehe._

_Forgotten Lullaby: Ah yes, "Betrayal" and "Forgiveness" companion ficlets don't explain a lot of things. I was mainly focusing on the emotional aspect of the topic, hence the "you provide your own reasons as to what had happened" in the author's notes. As for the previous ficlet, I originally had Port Royal in mind when I wrote the stuff regarding the prison, but other than that, it is indeed pretty much in a medieval setting._

_

* * *

Ficlet #36_

_Word count: 224_

* * *

**ウアウア – Caramelldansen**

* * *

Roxas moaned in his sleep as an insanely chipper song seemed to blast through the apartment. The catchy rhythm coupled with the semi-high pitched voice was enough to wake even the deadest of the dead. At least that's what the blond-haired man thought when he groggily woke. While the volume had been lowered slightly, Roxas could still hear the Euro-beat music from his room. He yawned and shuffled his way into the living room, jolting awake when he saw the rather disturbing scene.

Sora stood in his pajamas, staring intently at the computer screen that Roxas couldn't see. The music that he heard was blasting through the speakers. His hands were next to the teen's head just above his ears, the fingers moving up and down together at the same time that Sora was shaking his shapely ass to the left and then right. It looked disturbing from Roxas's point of view, yet it was mesmerizing as the brown-haired teen continued to "dance" to the beat of the bubbly music.

"Oo, oo, ua, ua," Sora intoned to the lyrics of the song, a laugh bubbling from his lips as he continued to dance.

Roxas shook his head and hurried back to his room, letting his bed claim him even though his perverted mind wouldn't let him forget the rather arousing dance any time soon.

_

* * *

Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies. QQ._

_A/N: I had to do it! XD. There needed to be a Caramelldansen related drabble in my honest opinion, lol. Granted, it was rather disturbing to watch some of the KH Caramelldansen videos on Youtube, even though the pictures were insanely cute. Though the English title is Caramelldansen, the Japanese is "Uaua" in accordance to what the Japanese refer to the song as: the "Uaua song". Haha.  
_


	37. Uso

_To reviewers of Uaua:_

_Forgotten Lullaby: Well, it isn't exactly DDR. You should look up Caramelldansen on youtube and you'll see what I'm talking about, haha. But I will have to admit that playing DDR, especially on the Wii with the hand markers is kinda weird. Not as weird as Samba de Amigo or Para Para Paradise though, XD._

_NinjaSheik: Thanks, hope you like this next one too._

_Andantenne to Percupine: Silly boys and their hormones right? (wink)_

_xXxSmidgexXx: Yay fluff! Oh, my apologies for assuming you didn't know a thing about Japanese! Hehe._

_Cedarleaf: It's such a Sora thing to do! Of course, Roxas would probably never be caught doing that, right?_

_CottonCandyHaze: Thank you very much for your support. I hope you'll have read _The Heart of a Nobody_ by the time you read this next ficlet, hehe. I can't say that I'll be able to teach much Japanese since I've only taken it for a year and haven't really kept up on it_—_bad me I know... But I'll do my best to incorporate more basic Japanese in these drabbles.  
_

* * *

_Ficlet #37_

_Word count: 272_

* * *

**嘘 – Lie**

* * *

Waves crashed against the base of a sheer precipice loudly.

Roxas could just imagine himself being swallowed up by the violent sea.

"My life has been a lie," he said softly. "Everything was just a lie."

He was just a puppet in the grand scheme of things.

His work, a lie. His family, a lie. His friendship with Axel and Xion, all a lie.

Even his love for Sora had been a lie.

"That's not true!" a choked voice came from behind him, cutting across the crashes and distant thunder. "Not everything was a lie!"

The blond-haired man slowly turned around, his dulled eyes falling upon the tear-stained face of his supposed lover. Sora was alone.

"How is that not true?" he intoned flatly. "I was used. No one cares."

"I care!" screamed the brown-haired man. "Axel and Xion cared!"

"And they're dead," Roxas ended, his voice brooking for no further argument.

"Can you not see them?" Sora whispered softly. Roxas blinked once deliberately, taken aback by Sora's words. As he continued to look at Sora, however, shapes began to form beside him. The faces of the two friends who he unknowingly killed appeared—ghostly images of their former selves.

"Just because we're on different sides of the line," continued Sora, "that shouldn't mean that our relationships are fabricated. I'm sorry for not telling you the truth earlier."

"It doesn't matter," he replied brokenly. His blue-eyed lover let out a sob before he latched onto the broken puppet.

"It does, it does," Sora repeated like a mantra. "You can't let the lie win."

Roxas simply stood there and stared into the distance.

* * *

_Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies. QQ._

_A/N: Today is, of course, the US release day for Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days. Though I haven't played the game (not sure when I'll be able to actually), I actually had the entire plot of 358/2 Days in mind when I wrote this, so it's a bit influenced by 358/2 Days._

_In any case, having a bit of trouble writing up the next chapter for _Nobody_ and I've pretty much put _Intrigues_ on the shelf until I'm done with _Nobody_. Hopefully I'll be able to get the next chapter out pretty soon though._


	38. Dakara

_To reviewers of Uso:_

_NinjaSheik: Hehe. Thanks for the compliment._

_Forgotten Lullaby: It really can, right? But right now (around Day 321), Roxas seems so clueless about everything._

_Key of Blades: Haha, you're not the only reader who's been thinking that this was a multi-chapter thing rather than just a collection of random drabbles and stuff. And as for incorporating Xion more into my ficlets, I think it'll depend on the ficlet. As for the multi-chapter stuff that I've written, I'm not sure if Xion'll make an appearance. Right now, probably not, but who knows, XD._

_CottonCandyHaze: It was amusing when I first saw a preview on ABC while flipping through the channels early one Saturday morning. At first I was like, whoa, there's actually advertisement for the game on network television. Then I realized that ABC's owned by Disney, of course they'll show a Disney game! Haha. There's a lot of stuff in KH 358/2 Days indeed, particularly regarding Castle Oblivion and of course, the situation with Sora, Roxas, and Xion. Hope you'll get a chance to actually play the game, X3.  
_

* * *

_Ficlet #38_

_Word count: 436_

* * *

**だから – Because**

* * *

"Because…"

"Because…"

"Because…"

Sora slammed the door behind him angrily. That was the umpteenth time he's had to listen to Riku's half-assed excuse about why he was late to their date when _he_ was the one who made the reservations. It was on _Riku's _schedule that they were having this date. And still that man had the gull to leave halfway during dinner, saying that there's an emergency after some call. Yeah, probably forgot a date with another girl based on the high pitched voice that came through the cell.

Of course, he was the one who ended up paying the bill and hoofing it home on his own.

He untied the scarf that was wrapped around his neck and shed the heavy overcoat, tossing them onto a barstool before making a beeline into the small kitchen to pull out a bottle of Captain Morgan and pouring himself a quick shot.

Just as he downed his second shot of the dark rum, frantic knocks on the door caught his attention.

"That better not be Riku," muttered Sora angrily. He brought the rum and the shot glass to the living room coffee table and opened the door.

Only to find the red-tinted face of one Roxas Betancourt standing in the hall, panting hard. From the way he was dressed, Sora could tell that the blond-haired man hadn't thought much about the bitter cold weather before he ran down the one block that separated their apartment buildings.

"Roxas?" Sora stared bug-eyed at his visitor.

"Hi," Roxas panted, "Can I come in?"

"Uh, sure," the other said, still stunned by the unexpected appearance of his friend. He stepped aside to allow the man in.

"I heard about what happened," Roxas said without preamble.

"Oh," the brown-haired man uttered lamely before plopping down in the sofa. Roxas took off the coat that he had tossed on haphazardly and set it next to Sora's own before joining his friend at the sofa. "It doesn't matter anymore," Sora added as an afterthought. "I'm done with Riku."

"Really?" questioned Roxas with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah. I'm sick and tired of his excuses lately. We're through."

The two sat in silence for a short while.

"How did you know?" Sora asked, breaking the silence that fell between them.

"Uh, I was out with Xion and Naminé when I saw Riku at the Seventh Heaven with Selphie."

"You ran all the way from the Seventh Heaven?" Sora asked incredulously.

"Um… yeah," Roxas replied sheepishly.

"Why?"

The blond-haired man blushed, twiddling his thumbs in embarrassment.

"Roxas, tell me," Sora urged, almost pleading.

"Because I love you."

* * *

_Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies. QQ._

_A/N: It's not actually my intention to cast a negative light on Riku since it's a very common motif in Sora/Roxas fics (either him or Kairi being the jerk). But I had to get this clichéd ficlet out of my system, especially after playing more than three-quarters way through KH 358/2 Days. While by no means is Riku a jerk in the game (in fact, Axel's more of a jerk than Riku is around days 321), I know it changes at the end and maybe that's why I decided to do this._

_And since I'm playing KH 358/2 Days, that hasn't given me much time to work on _Heart of a Nobody_. I've started working on it lately, but don't expect it to come out soon. I'll try to work on it more, but right now, I'm estimating that the chapter will be rather lengthy based on the amount of content that I want to fit into it. But a slight spoiler involves Nibelheim, Twilight Town, and, based on the last chapter, Ventus._


	39. Touhou

_To reviewers of Dakara:_

_HeartAngel: XD, so very sorry! Hope you ended up getting what you wanted for your birthday anyways, hehe. Kinda strange how Roxas's managed to hide the fact that he loves Sora enough that he would run through the city under the winter sky to console Sora after his crappy date… But I guess anything's possible, haha._

_NinjaSheik: Why thank you._

_Forgotten Lullaby: Well, in a sense Axel's just confused since he's a Nobody and all. He doesn't exactly have empathy for others, even for Roxas and Xion, who are as close to real friends as he'd get as a Nobody. So I guess there's an excuse for his behavior. From a Somebody's standpoint, he comes off as being really selfish though. That just makes him seem like a jerk._

_The beginning of the ficlet does seem rather awkward with the repetition of "Because", but that's mainly to illustrate the lameness of the excuses that Riku comes up—so lame that they're not worth repeating. That's my interpretation anyways, hehe. In a sense, the ending is just as abrupt as the beginning… Take from that what you will, XP._

_CottonCandyHaze: Haha. Well, as I said in another response, once you play through the entire game and work on the optional stuff, you get an understanding of why Axel acted the way he did. Since he's a Nobody, everything he does is what he thinks is best, but without the emotional component, oftentimes he makes the wrong decision and acts like a jerk. He's selfish, just like Roxas and Xion; but both Roxas and Xion understand the idea of something being right mainly because they're not the typical Nobody like the rest of Organization XIII._

_Andantenne to Percupine: From a literary perspective, you're right; Axel is the most tragic character we've known about in the Kingdom Hearts universe since he loses his heart, gains two friends (though the relationship wasn't as deep as we first expected it to be; not like the friendship between Sora, Kairi, and Riku), loses both of them, tries to do everything he can to get Roxas back, and disappears saving someone who resembled Roxas. But at the same time, it kinda makes you wonder if he felt any of the feelings that one normally associates with having a friend and losing a friend._

_xXxSmidgexXx: Roxas's just silly sometimes, XP. Thanks for the welcome back, hehe._

_Cedarleaf: Yeah. Actually, I don't know if it's considered bashing, but I still portray certain Organization XIII members in a negative light on a regular basis when some authors don't; they, in turn, bash Riku, Kairi, Naminé, and the likes when dealing with the Sora/Roxas pair. But can you blame me for doing so when Organization XIII's considered the villain in KH2? Hehe._

_

* * *

Ficlet #39_

_Word count: 531_

* * *

**東方 – Eastern**

* * *

The air conditioning was on full blast in the apartment, creating a cool—though one could argue that it was actually freezing—sanctuary from sweltering heat outside.

With the door to his room closed and the curtains drawn together, Roxas sat in the chair in front of his desktop staring intently at the screen. Upbeat music echoed through the room interrupted by a steady stream of gunfire-like sounds, alarms, and explosions. Clicks from the keyboard were masked by the sound effects of the game that Roxas was focusing all of his concentrations on.

Lying on his stomach on Roxas's bed, Sora had headphones covering his ears as he too stared intently at the laptop screen in front of him. Unlike his blond-haired counterpart, Sora was breezing through this part of the game, having played it multiple times already. Still, he was intent on beating his old score, which was the only accomplishment he's been able to get in this particular game.

"Yes!" exclaimed Roxas as the windowed screen in front of him slowed down with the defeat of the stage 6 boss. His arms were up in the air in exhilaration and from Sora's vantage point, he could see that Roxas had used up pretty much every bomb and life to finish the game on lunatic mode. He quickly turned back to the stage he was tackling and grinned as he was about to reach the boss with more than enough lives and bombs to garner him a high score.

Roxas looked at the brown-haired teen's screen and watched silently as his lover easily maneuvered through the non-spell card and into the first spell card, triggering the transition only until the screen was almost filled with bullets after he had cleared it once with a well placed and timed bomb. After capturing the first spell card, Sora breezed through the second non-spell with another bomb and continued repeating his strategy until after he captured the final regular spell card. By this time, Roxas noted that as long as Sora didn't die, he would beat his old score.

The player hissed in a breath when a bullet strayed too close for comfort to the hitbox of his "ship" but managed to save himself at the last second to allow for the final extra capture to continue. But beyond the close call, Sora knew the stage so well that he would even place himself in danger to get those extra points by grazing against the patterned bullets.

Finally, after three turns of extra spells from the final boss, the extra stage was finally over and Sora scored a whopping 100 million bonus points from surviving the entire thing.

"Yes!" Sora exclaimed, echoing what Roxas had done no more than ten minutes prior. The scoreboard appeared and Sora quickly entered his name at the top, saving the replay afterwards.

"You still need to work on lunatic," said Roxas with a grin. "Extra's harder than those stages." Sora wrinkled his nose in gesture of distaste.

"Boringgggggggggggggggg," he laughed, pecking Roxas on the lips briefly with his own lips. "Now, let's work on Mountain of Faith."

Roxas groaned playfully but plopped down in his seat happily.

_

* * *

Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies. QQ._

_Author's Notes: This ficlet is in fact about the danmaku game series Touhou, of which, I've been playing Eiyashou (Imperishable Night) on easy mode… and failing miserably at clearing it, lol. I do recommend watching some of the replays on Youtube if you're ever bored, in particular are the lunatic or extra stages for the games._

_KH-wise, I've managed to get 220 sigils from challenges, just 35 more to go until I can finally get the final weapon panel, yay! Of course, the challenges that I've leaving to finish at the end are going to be wonderfully annoying, but it's nice to have a bit of a challenge that doesn't involve insane moving around to dodge bullets like Touhou._

_I've been working on parts of the next chapter for _Hearts of a Nobody_, and I'll have to admit, I'm in a bit of a bother with trying to fit in snippets that don't quite fit in the narrative but are relevant to the overall story. Still, it's coming along and I'm about 30% done with it. I'll try to get it done as soon as possible, but no guarantees. Thanks for understanding._


	40. Ikari

_To reviewers of Touhou__ and others:_

_CottonCandyHaze: XD. Can you imagine two lovers playing KH2 at the same time but on different consoles and TV screens? "Mash X, mash X! Mash triangle, mash triangle!" Or maybe KH 358/2 Days, except it'd be mashing mainly A with a couple of all the other buttons here and there. No reaction commands in 358/2 Days that's for sure! For Touhou, it's not actually mashing buttons, mostly just hold down "z" to continuously shoot and hold down shift at the same time you're shooting to bring up the hitbox, haha. But better than mashing buttons like a console game, neh? (wink)_

_NinjaSheik: Here's the next update! Surprisingly fast compared to the last one… hmm…._

_Chrisumitai-Kevin Kiamori: Sickles are not actually instruments of death, but rather used for harvesting wheat and other grains by farmers. I think you're thinking more of a scythe, which is associated with the Grim Reaper. And actually salt wouldn't necessarily melt the ice cream if the ice cream's cold enough. Granted, it'd melt faster, but you can make a solution that has sea salt in it but actually freezes. And Sora had amnesia, which is loss of memory, a kind of a clichéd thing to write about actually._

_In my author's note, I explained why Sora used "Suki da yo" rather than "Aishiteru". In Japan, you don't come out and say "Aishiteru"—meaning "I love you"—to the person that you love. If you did, the person that you love would see you as arrogant and impolite. So, to continue with the entire humble and polite way of speaking, Japanese people would use "Suki da yo" to tell the person they love that they love him/her even though it literally means "I like you a lot". And as you can see, I wrote Sora of bona fide Japanese descent while Roxas is just plain American._

_Karrick: I actually forgot to respond to reviews for _Joudan Janai_ mainly because I was so into writing an April Fool's related ficlet and updating it on that day, haha. And yes, _Aisu_ is indeed the companion ficlet to _Sekkusu_, hehe._

_xXxSmidgexXx: Well, Ultima Weapon is actually a skill panel you can "equip" in 358/2 Days, which is on the Nintendo DS. It just makes your Keyblades stronger as far as I'm concerned._

_

* * *

Ficlet #40_

_Word count: 245_

* * *

**怒り – Rage**

* * *

A string of colorful words passed through the lips of a pale faced man as he came to a sudden stop again on the congested roadway when some jerk decided to cut into his lane without much of a warning beyond turning on the left-turn light a mere second before he made his move. Sitting in the passenger seat, his lover remained silent, knowing better than to try to calm the blonde down when he's in this state.

"Do they know how to drive?" murmured the driver under his breath. Slamming a palm against the center of the steering wheel, he blared the car horn loudly, giving the driver in front of him the finger when the other person glared at him through the backview mirror.

It was a tense hour on the road.

When they finally pulled into the underground parking lot beneath the posh apartment complex where they lived, Roxas got out of the car and slammed the door angrily, throwing a hard punch at a concrete column near him.

"Roxas!" cried Sora admonishingly, immediately going over to the man's side. He tenderly uncurled the fingers and found no breaks, but the skin was a mess with bloodied knuckles. "I knew I shouldn't have let you drive," he murmured.

"I'm fine," growled Roxas as he pulled his injured hand away from his worried partner. He stalked away toward the elevator, leaving Sora sad and alone in the parking lot next to their car.

_

* * *

Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies. QQ._

_A/N: To be honest, I feel like how Roxas feels in this ficlet during my daily commutes to and from my lab. It drives me nuts sometimes dealing with stupid drivers... (sigh)  
_

_In any case, I must be going through a phase or something, bleh. I've been working on a dark medieval fic titled _Darkness Rising_. While you might say, "Well it's natural for an author to work on other stuff while working on his/her current project," here's the problem: _Darkness Rising _has a lot of Roxas-torture, mostly sexual in nature. And here's the kicker, I don't even know if I would ever intend on posting it on this website, with that much attention to the rapes. I had actually set it down as a possible project for the future on my bio page, but I took it off after I didn't feel like it would be much of a fanfic. But right now, it might actually be plausible as my next project after I complete _Intrigues_—and I _will_ finish that fic damn it! In any case, working on the dark, dark fic threw me off my usual mode for _Heart of a Nobody_, so I apologize for yet another delay on the update for that fic. Thanks for your understanding._


	41. Shinnen

_To reviewers of Ikari:_

_NinjaSheik: Hence the title of the ficlet, hehe._

_Chrisumitai-Kevin Kiamori: I guess I could say that English wasn't my first language since I left the states as a toddler, but that's not the main reason why my writing seems so proper. It's more due to the fact that I'd rather have a flowing narrative rather than an undeveloped idea that seems all over the place—not like the stuff that I've written as a high school student. And thanks for letting me know that you're Karrick._

_xXxSmidgexXx: I'm sure there's plenty of graphic torture/rape fics out there for Sora. He just seems like the type to be victimized but Roxas… not so much, lol. I still have no idea when I'll be able to get _Darkness Rising_ out though; kinda waffling between posting whatever I have written within the next month or wait until I finish _Heart of a Nobody_ and_ Intrigues of Sora Kazano.

_Ironic-Sarcasm: Haha, yeah. There are a lot of times when I would feel like Roxas in the fic, but I'd never take it that far with the horn and the punching of a wall and break my own hand. But honestly, I find it annoying to know that there are tons of drivers who suck at driving. At least in my opinion, ha._

_fingers-falling-upwards: Well, on the bright side, at least I didn't make Roxas hit Sora in a fit of rage as the title might suggest?_

_

* * *

Ficlet #41_

_Word count: 262_

* * *

**新年 – New Year**

* * *

The sound of laughter and chatter accompanied by music resonated into the wintery night. Sora thanked the heavens that he had gotten out of there before more people got tipsy off the bubbly—as though Hayner and Tidus already making a ruckus without getting buzzed wasn't enough.

He unconsciously swirled the carbonated contents of his champagne glass as he leaned on his elbow against the vine-covered railing of a private pavilion in the large garden behind Riku's mansion. He took in the crisp air with a smile, sighing with relief from the stifling air within the ballroom where the party was held.

"There you are," said Roxas as he joined the brown-haired man at the pavilion. "Thanks for leaving me alone with the she-wolves in there," he continued sarcastically, pointing back to the ballroom with his thumb.

"Ugh, I smell like a girl," he grimaced as the thick perfumes of the women that fawned over him clung to him. He sneezed for emphasis as Sora laughed heartedly.

"Not funny," Roxas murmured with a pout.

"I guess they still haven't gotten the memo that we're not interested in them?" the brown-haired teen grinned.

"Guess not."

Sora pointed upward casually, leading Roxas's eye to the sprig of mistletoe that still hung from the frame.

"Wrong holiday," the blonde murmured.

"Does it matter?" Sora asked with a grin, closing the distance between them slowly.

Back at the house, cheers rang out in welcoming the New Year while Sora and Roxas shared a tender kiss—the last of the year and the first of the year.

_

* * *

Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies. QQ._

_A/N: Obligatory New Years ficlet since I didn't make one for Christmas, hehe. The next chapter for _Heart of a Nobody_ will be coming out on New Year's Day, long since overdue of course. In any case, Happy New Year everyone!_

新年あけましておめでとう！ – Shinnen akemashite omedetou!


	42. Itami

_To reviewers of _Shinnen_ and others:_

_CottonCandyHaze: But I like to be predicable! Haha. Having too many unpredictable things could make things really overwhelming in my opinion, hehe._

_NinjaSheik: Happy New Year to you too._

_Zenigami: Calamari's actually squid, which is less chewy than octopus. Takoyaki is "octopus ball" that's made from wheat paste with a piece of octopus in the middle. If you can find an Asian market (like Chinese, Korean, or Japanese), they do sell frozen takoyakis. Not as great as real ones, but it's better than nothing, XP._

_Andantenne to Percupine: Thanks. Happy New Year to you too, X3._

_Chrisumitai-Kevin Kiamori: I'm not so much offended as just I can't stand writing just "blah" now. Maybe I'm approaching writing from a more scientific way rather than just pure narrative, but that's just how I roll, lol._

_MisakiAkihiko: Antlion does take awhile to kill. What you'll want to do is try to just use Thunder magic (Thundaga being best of course) until it hits "phase 2" which is it stops and sends a line of sand pillars at you, wait for it to charge and let it knock itself out. Then just spam the crap out of Thundaga until it's dead. If goes into the air, then keep blocking and hit the exploding blocks back to it. Toss a cure every once in awhile would be good too (wink)._

_xXxSmidgexXx: We're all psychotic in some way haha. I mean… just see what I came up with for the latest ficlet! XC._

_

* * *

Ficlet #42_

_Word count: 296_

* * *

**痛み – Pain**

* * *

White hot pain burned at his core, shredding any semblance of self-identity within him. All he felt was pain.

This wasn't supposed to happen. He wasn't supposed to catch the attention, the lust, and sinful desire from the man who claimed to be in love with his older brother. Cold long silver hair framed a chiseled face where a pair of cruel green eyes sat staring down at the tanned back with welts and bruises, each one of them his mark. His hands pushed the boy down further into the sofa, smothering him with the seat cushion.

Sora wouldn't cry for the one on top of his bent body, thrusting into him like a madman. He would remain strong even as pain wore his resolve down into a thin line. He wouldn't struggle, or even protest, as asphyxiation began to rob his life.

Neither heard the knock on the front door, or the doorbell, or the door opening to reveal a blond-haired teen and his older brother in the doorway, staring in horror at the sight that met him.

Suddenly, the pressure on his head was gone, the invader that had robbed him of his innocence so long ago fought off. The pain remained, but Sora could hear punches being thrown and a loud thud as someone fell to the ground.

"Oh god, Sora," an angel's voice met his ears. "Please don't do this to me. Stay with me."

Sora's eyes weakly opened to focus upon Roxas's teary face hovering over him. His battered body was cradled in his angel's arms protectively.

"My savior," the brunet said softly with a smile upon his face, closing his eyes as darkness claimed him, taking him to where the aches and pains of his body could not reach him.

_

* * *

Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies. QQ._

_A/N: Gah! I shouldn't have spoiled _Birth By Sleep_ for myself. Gah, I say, gah! Granted, I'm intrigued what would happen in KH3 now… But that's as much as I'll say about that._

_I'm venting somewhat with this ficlet, though it's sort of inspired by another ficlet I've read (not KH-related). I always feel this "Oh my god what the hell just happened" kind of frustration whenever I read official KH spoilers, lol._

_I won't delve further into the ficlet and its ending, I think there's enough hints to clue you in as to whom the evil man is. As for the ending, I will assure you that Sora did not die, but rather just fell unconscious, hehe._

_Lastly, the next chapter for _The Heart of a Nobody_ is coming along rather slowly and spoiling _Birth By Sleep_ has kinda thrown a kink in my thought process, but I will try to get it out within the next week or two. Thanks for your patience._


	43. Kibou

_To reviewers of _Itami:

_CottonCandyHaze: Haha. I've actually tried to go and write a "prequel" drabble for this, but it's hard. I don't know if I'd ever be able to complete it in less than 400 words. I guess that's what makes drabble writing so hard sometimes! XD_

_NinjaSheik: Uh, kay? XP_

_xXxSmidgexXx: Did you play CoM or Re:CoM though? Since it's still on Sora and Riku after all. Haha._

_

* * *

Ficlet #43_

_Word count: 378_

_

* * *

Warning: Spoilers for the ending of Final Fantasy XIII._

* * *

**希望 – Hope**

* * *

The air sparkled with crystals ever since the day when the world changed. An enormous sphere sat upon a crystalline tower a mile above the hardened lava ground. It was a constant reminder to the peoples of this world of their not-so-distant past—the time when that broken sphere was their home.

But they were freed—freed from the illusion of paradise, bound to the wills of the fal'Cie that had blinded them.

And it was all due to the unheralded efforts of two siblings at the heart of the crystal pillar.

Standing on a precipice overlooking the steppes beyond, Sora lifted his hand and pulled off the glove on his left hand, unblemished skin meeting his eyes. The sentient brand that had turned scorched and distorted upon his return from the crystal prison of despair was gone.

A rustle in the tall grass caused the reminiscing brunet to swiftly turn around, his hand settled on the hilt of the sheathed weapon on his lower back. The smiling face of Kairi met his eyes and Sora let his guard down with a smile of his own.

"How are Roxas and Naminé?" she asked, looking at the crystal tower in the distance. Sora pulled out an x-shaped crystal from his shorts pocket, letting the setting sun's ray shine through the blue crystal. In his mind, he saw the two siblings curled up in crystal form, their hands hold one another's in familial love.

"Same as always," Sora replied simply, lowering his eyes and the crystal in his hand. He shut his eyes tightly, holding back the tears at his loss. Memories of his time with Roxas flitted through his mind like a chaotic movie.

Both allowed the silence to linger.

"Do you think they'll ever wake up?" Kairi asked softly. The brunet looked up sharply at his friend, finding her trembling with tears falling from her closed eyes. "The fal'Cies that gave us our focus are gone. They'll never wake up from their crystal sleep…"

"They'll wake up," Sora said firmly. "They have to."

"But-" Kairi began, her mouth opened to remind him that the two siblings were the only ones who didn't wake on Pulse from their crystal slumber.

Sora shook his head. "They will. I have hope."

_

* * *

Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies. QQ._

_A/N: Based on this ficlet, you can see that I've played through Final Fantasy XIII. Well, technically I still have lots of stuff to do in that game, namely work on getting the Treasure Hunter trophy and maxing out the Stage 10 Crystarium so I can get the rest of the accessory rewards from missions and stuff._

_The ficlet itself makes very subtle hints in regards to Sora/Roxas and Kairi/Naminé relationships, but they're there. And yes, I deliberately put the cast of KH into the FF13 world to sort of "vent" some of the emotions from the ending of FF13. Hope you guys who are playing FF13 are enjoying it, hehe._

_Of course, _Heart of a Nobody_ is finally updated after my unusually long hiatus from that fic. Hope you all check it out. Til my next drabble, thanks all!_


	44. Sakkaa

_To reviewers of _Kibou_:_

_-Optomistic Emo Kleptomaniac-: You commented on the fact that you refuse to play KH 358/2 Days because it's Roxas's story, haha._

_CottonCandyHaze: I didn't think your last review seemed cut off since it was somewhat of an internal debate between yourself and your sadistic side, right? Haha. In terms of Crisis Core, I've never played it since I don't have a PSP (might change when BBS comes out), but I know how you feel with the ending. If you ever get FF13, play it for the game's sake, not for the story's sake. I won't spoil anything more, but the story's on the meh side, haha._

_White Evergreen: In my opinion, the game is fun in terms of gameplay. People might argue otherwise since the story leaves a lot to be desired for sure. Still, it's worth playing if you like the FF series, hehe._

_

* * *

Ficlet #44_

_Word count: 302_

* * *

**サッカー – Soccer**

* * *

The din of vuvuzelas droned on softly behind the commentators' voices as they did the play by play for the game. Two teens sat on the edges of their seat staring at the flat screen TV, the bowl of half-finished Chex mix sat forgotten on the coffee table, their sugary drinks bubbling away.

"Come on, come on," murmured Roxas as he watched the ball get passed between the players on his team. He scowled when the ball was stripped by the opposing team and kicked towards their own strikers.

Sitting next to him, his brown-haired boyfriend sat equally concentrated on the game. Wrapped around his forehead was a white headband with a large red circle in the middle, the two kanjis for "ganbatte" written in calligraphy script on either side of the Japanese flag symbol.

"Naniya sore! Kakku," Sora exclaimed angrily when the referee pulled out a yellow card on one of his team players. Roxas said nothing, smiling as the foul set up a great position for a free kick for the American team.

_"Donovan takes the shot. A cross. Headed off by Tanaka toward the circle. Bocanegra's there. Passed to Donovan. Another cross."_

"No!" exclaimed Sora as the cross found the head of Clint Dempsey, who knocked the ball past the goalkeeper Kawaguchi.

"Yes!" exclaimed Roxas at the same time, fist pumping in the air in celebration.

_"Oh, that was a spectacular goal! Kawaguchi had no chance of blocking it. That's how fast it went into the net."_

"There's still time left," commented Roxas, pointing at the clock that continued to count up in the top center of the TV screen: 76:10. "Besides, you guys already won one. You'll get in." He kissed the frowning teen on the cheek.

Sora only pouted petulantly at the score. USA 1, Japan 0.

_

* * *

Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies. QQ._

_A/N: Oh wow, I got really busy in the month of June and the first part of July. Besides work and stuff, June and July had a plethora of things worth celebrating: the Lakers defended their title, Landon Donovan had that amazing goal on Algeria to get the US the first place out of Group C in the World Cup, NBA Free Agency circus, and now the Midsummer classic. Just, crazy._

_In any case, I'm having the entire "Oh no, the story is coming to an end!" moment with _The Heart of a Nobody_, especially since it's such a long piece of work. As a result, I'm taking a long time sorting everything out and making sure it works with the story over all. I apologize for the lack of updates and I thank you all for sticking by me._

_Yes, I got the original idea from watching the World Cup. It's a bit late, but I had to publish it, haha._


	45. Zetsubou

_To reviewers of_ Sakkaa _and others_:

_-Optomistic Emo Kleptomaniac-: Haha, I'm imagining Sora acting like Seifer when you beat him in KH2 now. "Ahh, noooooo!"_

_Sir Shirkin: Thanks for reading all the ficlets. And yes, there will be more, they're just coming not as regularly as the first 30-some ficlets I wrote. That's why the "fanfic" is considered complete even though I do have other ficlets in mind._

_Bldcvrdkunoichi: Well I don't know who you are actually when you're logged in, but thanks for the review anyways. And I still remember that song even now… three years after I've taken the class._

_XxSoRoXasxX: Thanks for all the reviews, hope you enjoyed all of them._

_

* * *

Ficlet #45_

_Word count: 183 (ignoring Microsoft Word's counting each Japanese character as one word instead)_

* * *

**絶望 – Despair**

* * *

"ロクサス、俺を見て、" Sora spat hotly, gesturing to himself vehemently. "俺は奇形!"

"You're not a freak," Roxas calmly replied. "You're still yourself."

"本当?" the brunet replied sarcastically. "この心はさえも俺のじゃねええええぞ。もしかしたら、ヴぇントゥスの心は俺に入り込んだから俺はキーブレイドを使える。考えてる?"

"Then you're saying I was never supposed to use the Keyblade either, right?" the blonde answered blandly.

"その通りだ。"

"What do you plan to do then?" Roxas asked, still wondering if he would be able to convince Sora to stop going down this path that leads to the Darkness.

"分からね," the once proud Keyblade master lowered his gaze. The previous intensity had all but faded away, evaporated like smoke. "俺は生きられない。もし俺は死ねばいいんだろう?"

Roxas stared slack-jawed at Sora. How far had his Other fallen? How had this happen? Why did he believe his own death would fix everything?

"You can't be serious," the Nobody said breathlessly as Sora walked past him—a dead man on his way to his own funeral.

"きっと真面目だ。"

* * *

_Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies. QQ._

_A/N: This is sort of a morbid way of looking at how Sora might react when he discovers that Ventus's heart had merged with his own. It's also a strange question I've wondered ever since I learned that Sora never went through the Keyblade inheritance "ceremony" whereas both Riku and Kairi have in BBS._

_I wrote Sora's part of the conversation in Japanese mainly because I wanted to but partly because I wanted to differentiate Sora's nihilistic point of view from Roxas's not-so-nihilistic point of view. You can sort of infer what Sora said based on Roxas's response, but __I have included the romaji version and the translations for Sora's part of the conversation below for your convenience._

* * *

_Roxas, ore o mite. – Roxas, look at me._

_Ore wa kikei! – I'm a freak!_

_Hontou? – Really?_

_Kono kokoro wa sae mo ore no ja neeee zo. Moshikashitara, Ventus no kokoro wa ore ni hairikondakara ore wa Keyblade o tsukaeru. Kangaeteru? – This heart iiisn't even mine. Maybe I can use the Keyblade because Ventus's heart is inside me. Have you thought about that?_

_Sono toori da. – That is exactly what I mean._

_Wakarane. – I don't know._

_Ore wa ikirarenai. Moshi ore wa shineba iindarou? – I shouldn't be alive. Maybe it's better if I died._

_Kitto majime da. – I'm completely serious._

* * *

_As a final note, the next chapter of _The Heart of a Nobody_ is almost finished. I just need to finish one last vignette and do some editing. It should be ready by next week at the latest. Thank you all for your patience._


	46. Nico Nico Douga

_To reviewers of _Zetsubou_ and others:_

_DrippingPurpleMelodies: Thanks for all the reviews. Hope you enjoyed all of the ficlets._

_DaphneRaynard: No problem! Haha. I should think about picking up studying Japanese on my own again, but I'm lazy nya~ XD._

_NocturnalMoonlight: I know, right! To be honest, I only Julliard by name, and I don't really know how strict they are besides they're a good music university, ha. And I played the flute, but I haven't picked it up in months (shiftyeyes). Thanks for reading too._

_TheColourOfStarlight: I wish I could come up with more ficlets, but sometimes it's just too hard, haha. Actually, it's not just kanji, but rather hiragana and katakana as well. Kanji look like Chinese characters and differentiates between different Japanese words with the same pronunciation; hiragana is what the Japanese usually, while katakana is used to denote foreign words, like "hamburger" (_ハーンバーガー_), or some fictional characters' first names, like "Roxas" (_ロクサス_) and "Sora" (_ソラ_). And I'm rambling… Hope you enjoy this next ficlet though, XD._

* * *

_Ficlet #46_

_Word count: 279_

* * *

**ニコニコ動画 – Nico Nico Douga**

* * *

"Sora," his mother's voice came from downstairs, but the said teen was simply much too absorbed in the video that played on his computer to properly respond. "Roxas is here!"

"Oh, okay," was his brief response, quietly following along the visual/auditory insanity. He didn't know how many times he's replayed the video, but the tune was so catchy and so chaotic that he couldn't help and watch the video just for the music.

"Oy, are we going to the movies or not?" Roxas whined as he stood at the doorway, hearing the crazy upbeat tune but understand none of it.

"I found something better the movies," Sora replied, leaning back to let his blond-haired friend get a better look at the screen, where a series of short videos and images were strung together as portraits representing random people popped up, presumably when the individuals were singing during the long song.

Roxas was silent as he watched video with a bemused expression on his face. He knew the video was in Japanese, since he could pick up a few of the words here and there—like "konbu", "okkusenman", and "aishiteru".

"What… the hell?" Roxas looked at Sora for explanation, scratching the back of his head in confusion. He couldn't understand why, but he wanted to listen to the medley again.

"Nanairo no Nico Nico Douga," grinned the brunet. "One of the many awesome offerings of Nico Nico Douga."

"What?"

"Think of it as the Japanese Youtube," he replied, clicking one of the links to another video. "And this is Nico Nico Douga Ryuuseigun."

Roxas could only sit on Sora's bed and watch the next video with equal awe and confusion.

* * *

_Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies. QQ._

_A/N: As you can see from this ficlet, it's about the greatness that is _Nico Nico Douga_, particularly the medleys done by Shimo. I chose not to translate it directly (Smile Videos) because _Nico Nico Douga_ is just Ni_co Nico Douga_ to everyone who knows it._

_Anyways, regarding the actual medleys that inspired this piece. _Kumikyoku Nico Nico Douga_ is the first one to be popularized in the Western world, even though it's not the first medley Shimo's done. After that it's _Nico Nico Douga Ryuuseigun_. Finally, there's _Nanairo no Nico Nico Douga_. If you want to experience one of the Japanese oddities, I **highly** recommend looking it up on Youtube. It's especially mind-boggling when you realize that the singers all recorded their own versions of the song individually and Shimo combined them into the chorus versions._

_If you're like me and want the mp3 files, kumikyoku-dot-rintaun-dot-net has a database of pretty much all of the medleys, by Shimo and by other _Nico Nico Douga_ members._

_I know it's not for everyone, but don't be surprised if you become addicted to the music though. I know I am… (shiftyeyes x 100 times)_

_Lastly, still working on _Heart of a Nobody_ (as if that isn't obvious, haha). I might have another ficlet out before the next chapter it out, so look forward to it, yeah? Thanks for all the support!_

_Now, back to exploding my mind with _Kumikyoku Nanairo no Nico Nico Douga Ryuuseigun_, which is just those three medleys strung together into one epic song. Whee!_


	47. Tsurupettan youjo

_To reviewers of _Nico Nico Douga_:_

_TheColourOfStartlight: I probably should have written it as "oi" instead of "oy". But Roxas picked it up from Sora since Sora's going to always be Japanese in this series of ficlets while Roxas is American/European depending on the ficlet. And it's not uncommon for the Japanese (usually guys) to go "oi, oi" or "oi, (name)" to express disbelief or to catch someone's attention._

_-Optomistic Emo Kleptomaniac-: I have no idea how the guy did it all, but doing it on a keyboard might be right. Like I said, it's not everyone, but it's crazy, haha; though probably not as crazy as the people who took that music and made an automatic Mario level following the song._

* * *

_Ficlet #47_

_Word count: 664_

* * *

**ツルぺっタン幼女 – Flat-chested Little Girl**

* * *

To say he was mad would've been the understatement of his life as he sat on a barstool with his arms crossed over his chest and his legs crossed in the only way he knew how to whilst in this ungodly outfit without exposing himself. How in hell had he agreed to this stupid bet in the first place!

Oh right, he got suckered into it.

The mastermind behind this predicament the blonde found himself in sat hunched over a pint of Guinness on a similar stool next to him. The sandy-haired man snickered at the blonde's irritation.

Roxas's head snapped toward Hayner and glared daggers at him, but until the night is over, he couldn't go back on the bet. Not when Olette's been dying to see him in this outfit.

"Shut up," he hissed.

"Hey, I didn't say a thing," the other man said, raising his hands in a surrendering gesture. The blonde scoffed and turned to watch for anyone that dared to approach him.

"Where are the others anyways? They're late," he grumbled.

"They're not," Hayner remarked, taking a long quaff of his beer. "We're just early."

"I'm going to kick you so hard after tonight that you can't have any sex," Roxas hissed. The sandy-haired man only grinned.

"Hayner!" Olette's voice came over the din of the club and the two found the auburn-haired woman leading their other friends toward them.

Roxas was mortified to find a certain brunet amongst the ones who accompanied her. He didn't need _him_ to see him like this!

He quickly turned around, thankful that the dimmed lighting and the silly cosmetics his brother's girlfriend put on him covered the blush on his face.

"Aww, let me look at you," Olette cooed as she took the seat previously occupied by Hayner. Willing himself to not cry, he turned to look at the woman, who frowned upon seeing a certain something missing.

"You forgot the-oof," she began, only to get interrupted when Hayner jabbed her in the ribs with an elbow. "What!" she complained, glaring at her boyfriend until she looked at Roxas's face. He glared at her as if daring her to say the words.

"Hey," an unfamiliar voice came from behind the two. The stranger draped an arm around Roxas's shoulders and walked between Olette and the blonde. Roxas wrinkled his nose in distaste upon smelling the heavy cologne and alcohol; this man was so drunk.

And so dead.

"What say you and I get to know each other better? I like girls like you," he chuckled.

"I don't think she's interested, man," Sora said, pushing the man off of Roxas.

"Want to fight for her?" the drunken man asked belligerently. Roxas said nothing, standing between the two before punching the man so hard in the stomach that the he collapsed immediately.

"Hey Tifa," he yelled at the bartender. "I think this guy's drank too much."

Tifa looked at him with a knowing smirk on her face and nodded. "Just leave him on the stool."

With that done, Roxas turned to find Olette giggling madly with Kairi and Naminé while Riku and Sora stared slack-jawed at him.

"Roxas?" Sora said in shock.

For losing the bet, Roxas had to wear a schoolgirl's uniform, which Kairi had gladly supplied, complete with a plaited skirt that was cut mid-thigh and knee-high socks. To make matters worse, he had to put on a blond wig that emphasized the entire look with pigtails.

"Yeah, it's me," grumbled the blonde.

"You look cute," Sora remarked after the initial shock finally wore off. "But you look kind of flat."

At that exact moment, those in the know simply burst out laughing.

"Say it again and I'll punch you in the face," Roxas grumbled, though with less aggression than before as Sora held him tenderly.

Somewhere in the club, a prop bra sat amongst the trash. Roxas would be damned if he had to wear the offending article.

* * *

_Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies. QQ._

_A/N: A bit too long to be a proper ficlet, but far too short to be a stand-alone short story. As such, I included this one in my collection. I took the title from the lyrics for a Touhou fanmade song titled _"Tsurupettan"_, which is based on the theme song for Kaguya Houraisan (final boss of Imperishable Night). Originally I had planned for Sora to be the one who's in the schoolgirl uniform, but Roxas fit the role of the extremely annoyed guy much better, hehe._

_In any case, the final chapter of _The Heart of a Nobody_ is coming along nicely albeit a bit slowly since it's turning into a really, really long chapter. Look forward to it, ne?_

_Thanks for reading!_


	48. Kaizoku

_Ficlet #48_

_Word count: 155_

* * *

**海賊 – Pirate**

* * *

It was a perfectly good day in Roxas's mind. Until he got out of his room to have breakfast.

"Morning, Sora," he slurred tiredly, stifling a yawn as he grabbed the box of cereal from the pantry.

"Ahoy!" greeted Sora. "Look lively thar, ye bilge rat, or ye be swabbing the decks today."

The blonde blinked at his mate with confusion. "What? I think you've been working at Jack's place too long."

"Shiver me timbers, ye landlubber, it be Talk Like A Pirate Day," he answered as he placed his tri-cone hat on his head.

"Are you going to talk like that the whole day?" Roxas asked, staring at the brunet with mild annoyance. It was going to be one of those days when Sora indulges in a faux holiday. He still remembered when he ate himself sick with all those slices of cheesecakes on National Cheesecake Day.

"Yarrrrrrrrr, matey," Sora only grinned.

Roxas groaned.

* * *

_Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies. QQ._

_A/N: This was thrown together on a whim after I had been thinking in pirate vocabulary for most of the day because of TLAP day, haha. Of course, Sora would be the one who actually take these things "seriously" and just be silly. Roxas, on the other hand, doesn't need to celebrate these holidays since Sora's doing it for the both of them really, haha. Hope you enjoyed the short blurb._

_Yarrrrrrrrr!_


	49. Tanshin

_To reviewers of _Kaizoku _and others:_

_OmniaVanitas: No problem. This collection will never really be completely discontinued. I'm just not updating on a regular basis, that's why I set the story status to "Complete" instead of "In progress" haha._

_TheColourOfStarlight: Hehe, I can just imagine Sora trying to find something worth celebrating every single day since he's just that silly. Of course, Roxas would be the direct opposite and try to keep Sora from going overboard. They are technically two sides of the same person in game after all._

_Sir Shirkin: Nah, it has nothing to do with Facebook's "pirate language". I've tried to celebrate ITLAP day every year since my first MMO guild was pirate themed. Besides, Sora wanted to be a pirate in the game, so perfect time to make him pirate-y._

_Sammiieeoo: Thanks! I'm happy you're obviously enjoying them._

_sweet pandamonium: You're not the only one who gets inspirations from other fanfics/drabbles. It's part of the reason why I started this ficlet collection; just to get some of the ideas that I can't flesh out into full fics out of my "system". Ha._

* * *

_Ficlet #49_

_Word count: 451_

* * *

**単身 – Single**

* * *

It was an annual tradition between all of them for years now; ever since Tidus started dating Yuna in college. They would always meet for dinner regardless of what day of the week it was.

Instead of "Happy Valentine's Day!", it was "Happy Singles Awareness Day!" for the rest of them.

Of course, over the years, the number of people who actually showed up fluctuated as people fell in and out of love like riding on the subway.

Throughout it all, Sora and Roxas were always there. It wasn't that neither one tried, but they both seemed to have the worst luck when it came to Valentine's Day—always single on _that_ particular day.

Sora entered their usual gathering spot on this particular day and hoped that he wasn't going to be the only person to show up. Wakka had started dating some Goth chick named Lulu a few months back while Selphie was, supposedly, trying out a relationship with Jessie, one of Kairi's co-workers. And last he heard, Roxas was still in his relationship with some kid named Hope. He was a bit jealous of Hope, but he could never admit that he was in love with his best friend.

To his surprise, he found a familiar figure sitting slightly hunched over at the bar.

"Roxas?" he called to the blonde, unable to mask the surprise from his voice.

The said man turned his head and smiled weakly at Sora, appearing quite pensive. "Hey, Sora," he returned.

"What happened with Hope?" the brunet asked, knowing better than to let his friend brood over another failed relationship.

"We broke it off after he found out his company was sending him overseas," the blonde answered.

Sora furrowed his brows in bewilderment. "You guys can't make it work?"

"Nah," Roxas shrugged. "Besides, he was the one who told me I'm in denial."

"Denial? About what?" He said his thanks to the bartender for his regular drink—a simple Long Island iced tea.

"According to him, apparently I've had my heart set elsewhere for a long time now," Roxas explained. "And I think he's right. That's why I've been single every year around this time."

"Huh?" Sora blinked blankly at his friend, not quite understanding what the yellow-haired man was implying.

"I'm in love with you, Sora," Roxas confessed bluntly.

Sora was speechless, his mouth opening and closing like a fish.

"He also said that we're both as blind as bats when it came to each other's feelings. He said that you're in love with me too." The dark blush on the silent brunet's face confirmed his ex-boyfriend's theory. "And he's right." He leaned forward and pecked Sora on the lips.

"Happy Valentine's Day."

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_Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies. QQ._

_A/N: As promised, here's my cheesy Valentine's Day drabble to add to the mix of "new/updated" fics. Hope you enjoyed!_


	50. Yume

_To reviewers of _Tanshin_ and more:_

_TheColourOfStarlight: Haha, thanks for all the compliments. My fandom for this pairing will probably not wane until the entire KH series come to an end, since that's how I stop following certain pairings "religiously". Though I probably will still keep my interest in FF13 until FF13-3's canceled and then I'll go on a rant about the ending of FF13-2._

_Shadow: This collection is never truly finished unless I stop writing fanfics, which is probably until the day I die or something, ha! I'm glad to hear that you've enjoyed all of these ficlets._

_blazblue-domo: Happy to know that you've obviously enjoyed yourself. XD_

_Optomistic Emo Kleptomaniac: I know right!? Of course, I wouldn't say I'd enjoy falling in and out of love on an almost-yearly basis. XP_

_UltimateYugiohFan: Thanks for all the reviews and all the compliments. I do my best to bring my best work here and there, hehe._

_Sayuri-Suzuki95: I think I've stayed up past 4 AM once in my entire life that I remember, so I applaud you crazy night owls. And I'm just happy to know that you're still following this collection even though the new ficlets are published at a rather slow pace. Don't worry about reviewing every single one of them; I'm not necessarily a review whore. XP_

_Guest: You're probably right about _"_murasaki_"_, but it's more "purple" than "violet". And as a science freak, there's particular difference between "purple" and "violet" (purple is redder while violet's bluer), that's why I chose "sumire" over "murasaki". Thanks for pointing that out though._

_esmeralda kitty cat: Yup, they're super cute alright. Though in a way, I wonder why I've never gotten into the Ventus/Sora pairing…_

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_Ficlet #50_

_Word count: 417_

**_Warning: Major SPOILERS for Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance. Don't say I didn't warn you. (wink)_**

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**夢 – Dream**

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Dreams say a lot about a person's state of mind.

At least, that's what Sora once thought before _the_ Exam. He never thought that Dreams could be the same memories that played like a movie on continuous loop, with the participants none-the-wiser.

He stared up at the dark blue-tinted black sky mulling over what Master Yen Sid had told Riku and him. There was a part of him that was disappointed by the results of _the_ Exam. But he couldn't let his disappointment bog him down. He had to get stronger and not let his brush with the darkest of Darkness stop him from reaching the position of Keyblade Master.

A series of high-pitched barks from the Meow Wow next to him caught his attention and Sora sat up to look at what had caused the Spirit to act in such a way. His sapphire eyes widened at the sight of a familiar boy walking towards them.

"Ro-" he began.

"Don't say that name," the blond-haired Nobody quickly interrupted.

"Oh," Sora uttered, realizing what he was referring to.

"_He_ might not exist in this time period, but I would rather be safe than sorry. Besides, you _are_ in a dream still."

The Meow Wow looked from one boy to the other and whimpered in its confusion.

"So you know," Sora said softly.

"I'm always with you, you know that," the Other replied. "And, I'm sorry I couldn't protect you from the Darkness. I-"

"Hey, I've got Riku to help me with that. And for what it's worth, I've got Ventus too. If it wasn't for him…"

"You think you would've been stuck in the Darkness forever?"

"What, you don't think so?"

"Might be harder to get to you, but I don't think you'd be stuck forever." He gave a grin that reminded Sora very much of himself. "You should go back to the real world anyways. It isn't healthy to dwell in dreams, even if this world _is_ Sleeping."

The brunet returned the roguish grin and nodded, summoning his Keyblade to dive back out from the Sleeping Traverse Town.

"I'll free you and the others," he commented.

"I think I'd prefer to stay here, thank you very much. Maybe I'll find a way to become a Dream Eater like Riku instead and protect you from within."

"Good luck with that."

"Oh, and before you go. Tell Lea, 'thanks and good luck'."

Sora looked at the blonde quizzically before beaming at his "Nobody". "I'm sure he knows already."

* * *

_Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies. QQ._

_A/N: Yuuuuuuuuuuuup, I finished KH3DS almost two weeks ago. It wasn't until 8/13 (lolAkuRoku day) that I thought, "Hey, maybe I should write another drabble/ficlet!" And this is the product. This is more of a friendship ficlet since I'm trying to keep everything in as much canon as I can, though something tells me Roxas couldn't technically pop up in the Sleeping Traverse Town since he's still a part of Sora and all. Meh, it's a Sleeping world, so whatever. Haha._

_As for progress on _Fantasia Krystallos_, I've lost a bit of my vision for that fic even though I've had the next chapter completed for quite some time now. I will get back to it, but it's just taking a long time to get back into that particular "universe". Sorry for the wait and thanks a lot for your patience._

_Hope you enjoyed!_


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